According to historians the first aperitif appeared in Turin, Italy in 1786. It was initially taken before meals to stimulate the appetite; usually paired with appetizers like crackers, cheese, pate and olives. By the late 19th century, it was served in fashionable cafes in Rome, Venice, Naples, Florence, Milan and Turin. Later on it spread across Europe and even the United States. Nowadays, we can no longer find these drinks in cafes. It is more common to drink in a party or at a bar/club.
The Venetian Lemon Sorbetto cocktail is a famous Italian drink. There are times when it is difficult to find sorbet, so I decided to make my own ice blended version of this drink. Â You can serve it to friends or sip it by the porch on a warm night.
Salute!
Ingredients:
2 cups ice
2 tablespoons vodka
1/3 cup Prosecco or other sparkling wine, chilled (or more, to taste)
3 pieces Lemons (squeeze juice and set aside zest)
1 cup sugar
Rim glasses with sugar – with a lemon wedge, wet the rim of the glass. Place the sugar on a small plate, then dab the rim of the glass on the sugar, slowly turning it around until the whole edge is covered in sugar. Slowly shake off the excess sugar from the glass.
Pour vodka, Prosecco and lemon juice in the blender. Add ice and blend until the ice is crushed. You can use lemon sorbet instead of ice if it is available. If you cannot find Prosecco, soda like Sprite or 7up will suffice.
Fill each glass with the blended mixture and garnish with lemon zest.
Photo Courtesy of: waferboard