Drinks

Sgroppino

April 10, 2020 by Jennifer

It’s such a strange time right now. We’re all suddenly performing multiple roles; before we were simply stay-at-home mom, bread winner, teacher, or student. Now we’re all four (or more). While trying to balance all those roles, we’re also desperately trying to keep our households fed and find enough toilet paper and paper towel to last us the week. While finding certain things at the store (flour, yeast, sanitizer, garlic) is practically impossible, the one thing that seems to be readily available is alcohol.

Weird, right? I mean, everyone I know is drinking these days. And they’re drinking a lot! Friends who used to have a glass of wine or cocktail on the weekends are now imbibing every day. And I’m no different. Hubs and I used to open up a bottle of wine with dinner once or twice a week. Not any more. And yet, that’s the one thing at grocery stores I’m guaranteed to find. Other aisles are empty, but not those aisles. Those aisles are seriously full! Red, white, rosé, bourbon, rum, tequila… whatever your fancy, it’s available. And if it isn’t, the liquor store on the corner is still open.

So, since we’re all drinking anyway, I thought I’d bring you another classic that will definitely bring a smile to your face. It’s the Italian Sgroppino. That’s right, Italian. It’s so funny, I feel like the world is mocking me at this point. See, I found this cocktail while perusing the internet for another classic that would be fun, festive and perfect for Easter… and this is what popped up. Why is an Italian cocktail mocking me? Because Hubs and I were supposed to be in Italy at the end of the month. Needless to say our trip has been postponed because of this wonderful virus. But I can still dream of the days when we’ll finally get there and I’m telling you, I’ll be imbibing these daily. But I’m not waiting. No, I’m starting now.

And you can, too. You can put your gloves and mask on, drive to the grocery store, grab the ingredients (which I guarantee your local grocery store has) and be back home in a few short minutes.  Then you can whip up this tasty tipple that’s part cocktail, part dessert.

If that sounds like some sort of weird, new-fangled concoction, it’s not. This drink has actually been around since the 16th century when Venetian aristocrats sipped the Sgropin as a means to help along digestion after a large meal. The cocktail usually showed up between the first and second courses as a palate cleanser and then again at the tail end of the meal. While the original consisted of lemon sorbet and a little alcohol, today’s recipe hasn’t really changed… there’s just a bit more alcohol; and sometimes a different flavored sorbet. But with Easter being on Sunday and yellow being a prominent color of the holiday, I wanted to stick with the classic lemon. That and the fact that I love lemon anything. I’m such a lemon fan in fact, I used Infuse Spirits’ Lemon Vodka to give it that extra punch.

So, if you’re looking for something new to imbibe tonight this weekend, enjoy a Sgroppino. Not only will you get your drink on, you don’t have to worry about dessert. Two birds, one stone… Yes, please!