Sgroppino

Venice's sparkling digestif.

Lemon sorbet, vodka and prosecco blended into a light, frothy cream, halfway between a cocktail and a dessert. In the Veneto it closes celebratory meals or refreshes the palate between courses.

After dinner
Blended

Glass: Flute
Method: Blended
Strength: Light
Time: 3 min
Difficulty: Easy
Ice: No ice

Ingredients

Servings 1

Lemon sorbet 2
Vodka 20 ml
Prosecco 60 ml
Cream (optional) 15 ml

Garnish

Grated lemon zest
Mint leaf (optional)

Proportions

How to make

Chill a flute.
Put the sorbet into the blender.
Add the ice-cold vodka.
Add the cold prosecco.
If you like, add a splash of cream.
Blend on low speed until creamy and frothy.
Pour straight into the flute.
Finish with grated lemon zest.
Serve at once, before it separates.

The story

Origins

LegendA story passed down, not confirmed by the sources.

Sgroppino is a Venetian speciality, born as a digestif served at the end of a meal or between courses, for example between fish and meat. The name comes from a Venetian dialect word meaning to loosen or untie: the idea is that it eases the stomach after a heavy meal. It was originally called sgropìn and only later Italianised. Some sources trace it back to aristocratic Venetian tables of the fifteenth century, others to the sixteenth, but these are traditions without documentary evidence; neither the author nor the date of the vodka and prosecco version is known. Today it remains typical of wedding lunches and trattorias in the Veneto.

Sources (4)

Difford's Guide — Sgroppino / Sorbetto (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
Dissapore — Sgroppino: ricetta (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
Internazionale (Rachel Roddy) — La ricetta dello sgroppino per superare il caldo (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
Gambero Rosso International — The new craze in the United States is called Sgroppino (opens in a new tab) recipe and history

Taste profile

Citrus: 4 out of 5
Fresh: 4 out of 5
Sweet: 3 out of 5
Creamy: 3 out of 5
Bubbly: 2 out of 5