The recipe
for your table
Let the sorbet soften slightly for 5 minutes and place it in a chilled bowl.
Whisk in the vodka.
Add the prosecco little by little and whisk until smooth and airy.
Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately, with a small spoon or straw.
The story
Sgroppino originates from sixteenth-century Venice, where noble families served a 'sgropin' between the fish and meat courses - an ice-cold lemon mixture to 'untie' the taste buds (sgropar means to loosen in the Venetian dialect). With the arrival of prosecco and later vodka, the intermezzo evolved into the frothy drink we know today. In the Veneto, it is still the standard ritual after an elaborate fish meal; elsewhere, it conquered the world as a 'dessert you drink'.
The right glass
Serve Sgroppino in a flute or coupe: the flute keeps it cold the longest and lets the foam sit beautifully on top, while the coupe makes it more of a dessert that you eat with a spoon. Choose glasses from 19 to 26 cl and place them in the freezer beforehand - with this drink, every degree counts. In our scroppino category, suitable glasses for both styles are ready for you. If you prefer to serve it as an aperitif in a narrow glass, take a look at our champagne flute glasses.
RCR Etna Champagne Flute 19 cl (6 pieces)
RCR Timeless Champagne Glass / Coupe 26 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets — together € 88,90.
The right tool
For a Sgroppino, besides the glass, you use a jigger for precise measuring and a bar spoon for stirring. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glazenset (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools - together € 70,85.
Variations & twists
With strawberry sorbet, it turns pink and summery; with mango, tropical. A sprig of fresh mint or some lemon zest on top completes the dessert experience. If you want to serve it as a palate cleanser between courses, keep it small: half a glass is exactly enough. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Servingtip
Whisk by hand, not with a blender: the Sgroppino should be velvety, not slushy. Make it only when the guests are seated at the table - it waits for no one.
Sgroppino or simply a scoop of lemon sorbet
On paper, it seems simple: sorbet topped with bubbles. The difference lies in what you do with the whisk. A scoop of sorbet with prosecco poured over it remains a scoop of ice cream in a pool of wine, whereas with a Sgroppino, you first whisk the 100 grams of sorbet with 2 cl of ice-cold vodka, then gradually work in the 8 cl of prosecco. This creates a light, even foam that you can both drink and spoon. Allow one minute for whisking; go faster and you will get slush instead of velvet.
The ratio per person
Use 100 grams of sorbet, 2 cl vodka and 8 cl prosecco, which gives you about 18 cl in the glass. More vodka makes the foam looser, because alcohol inhibits setting; more prosecco makes everything collapse into lemonade. In terms of strength, it comes to around 9 percent, about one glass of wine, although the cold and sweetness make it barely noticeable. A 75 cl bottle of prosecco is enough for nine glasses, and one liter of lemon sorbet makes about six.
For a group: whisk in a bowl
For six people, it works better to put everything in one large, pre-chilled bowl: 600 grams of sorbet, 12 cl vodka and 48 cl prosecco, or almost a whole bottle. First whisk the sorbet loose with the vodka, then add the prosecco in three additions, whisking gently all the while. Meanwhile, put the glasses in the freezer. Work quickly, because even in a cold bowl you have at most five minutes before the foam collapses. So call your guests to the table first, then start whisking.
Sgroppino without alcohol
The alcohol-free version works better than you might think, because the lemon sorbet does most of the work. Leave out the 2 cl of vodka and replace the prosecco with 8 cl of alcohol-free sparkling wine; the foam even becomes slightly firmer, because there is no alcohol working against it setting. Choose a dry 0.0 bubbly, though, otherwise the whole thing will become candy-sweet. A spoonful of lemon zest or a mint leaf brings back the freshness that the vodka would otherwise provide. Serve in the same ice-cold glass as the original version.
Frequently asked questions
What goes into a scroppino?
A Sgroppino contains four things: a generous scoop of lemon sorbet weighing about 100 grams, 2 cl of ice-cold vodka, 8 cl of chilled prosecco, and optionally some lemon zest or mint. Loosen the sorbet with the vodka, then gradually add the prosecco.
What is a Sgroppino?
A Sgroppino is a Venetian mix of lemon sorbet, vodka, and prosecco, whipped by hand into a light foam. In Veneto, it is traditionally served after a fish meal as a palate cleanser between courses; elsewhere, we mainly know it as a dessert you drink.
Which glass do you use for a Sgroppino?
A flute keeps it cold the longest and lets the foam sit nicely on top; a coupe makes it more of a dessert that you eat with a spoon. Choose 19 to 26 cl and place the glasses in the freezer beforehand; see our scroppino glasses.
Can you make a Sgroppino in advance?
No, whip it just before serving. The foam collapses within a few minutes and the sorbet melts, leaving you with a slush instead of a velvety cocktail. What you can do in advance: chill the glasses, vodka, and prosecco until ice-cold.
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