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Perfectly light and wonderfully refreshing, this cocktail-dessert hybrid is popular for a reason.
About the cocktail
What if we told you there was a cocktail made entirely of vodka, prosecco and sorbet? A magical dessert-cocktail hybrid that didn’t only exist in our linen-at-sunset, pasta-adjacent Italian dreams? We’re talking, of course, about the Venetian classic, the Sgroppino (sgro-pee-no) cocktail. Simple, sweet and refreshing are the words that come to mind when describing this classic. And it’s dead easy – in its most basic form, it’s just three ingredients tossed into a blender or hand-mixed in a metal bowl. If we’re being totally honest, that kind of cocktail is pretty much all we can muster up on a hot summer’s day. The Sgroppino, which loosely translates as “untie” in Italian, is a reference to the cocktail helping to relax or untie your stomach after, probably, a truckload of pasta (we love a carb). It’s been an Italian classic for a long time, but because of its simplicity and easily malleable formula, it has made its way across the world. In Sydney, Newtown's Bar Planet does a weekly version of it called a Scorpino, while Icebergs keeps it pretty tight with their perfectly white Sgroppino hand-blended at the table. The beauty of this cocktail, aside from its simplicity, is just how easy it is to change up. You have full permission to go a bit wild. Change the base spirit all you want, have a go at blending different kinds of sorbets through the mix, you could even throw in a touch of cream if you want a fattier experience – or better yet, ice cream. Anything goes! Get creative. Off the top of our heads, a mango sorbet with some coconut cream layered through, finished with vodka and prosecco could work quite nicely. Or what about vodka, prosecco and a nice watermelon sorbet with some fresh lime squeezed through? This Strawberry Patch recipe switches vodka for limoncello, pairing it with strawberry sorbet and a sprig of basil for garnish. Not happy with the sorbet from your local? Make your own seasonal flavoured sorbets! Want to level it up even more? Try washing your vodka or gin with other flavours, or making a fun tincture. Honestly, it's the cocktail that keeps on giving.
Ingredients
Two scoops flavoured sorbet (traditionally lemon)
45mL prosecco 15mL vodka Garnish: mint
Method
Chuck all your ingredients into a blender and briefly blitz until just blended (alternatively, you can also pop your ingredients into a metal bowl and mix through with a fork)
Serve into a chilled glass of your choosing and top with a few leaves of mint
Dan’s top tips
Friends, this is a super-hard cocktail to screw up – some might say it's impossible. So, there’s not much advice you need from us. However… Top of the list, don’t add ice. It may be tempting, but there’s no need. We want those flavours to really sing, and adding more ice will dilute the flavours just a touch too much. Also, be wary of over-blending. We still want it to have a nice chunky-ish texture, and getting too trigger-happy with the blender may result in a liquid Sgroppino. No fun. Don’t have a blender? No problem. Grab a metal mixing bowl and a fork, and gently mix the ingredients together by hand. Lastly, when picking your flavours, have a little try to see if they work together first. If you’re mixing with a sorbet that is quite sour or even savoury you might want a sweeter-style prosecco/sparkling to even it out. The same goes if you’re working with very sweet ingredients – opt for a dry-style prosecco. Saluti!
image credits: Charlie Hawks (photography) Bridget Wald (styling).
