Italian Cocktail and Tunes

I’m noticing that my birthday list is taking on a drinks theme as of late…

Well, my journey to drinking an Italian cocktail began at a record store in my hometown. Allen and I stopped into the House of Guitars when we visited Rochester a couple of months ago. The place is iconic and chaotic—at least the record and CD part of the store is.

I usually enter the store with no agenda…I just walk around until something catches my eye. During this particular visit, I found myself in the world music section, standing in front of some Italian CDs. I don’t have any Italian music, so my interest was piqued. I picked up Putumayo’s Vintage Italia CD. The packaging promised that the music would provide a stroll through the golden age of Italian popular song.

When I got the CD home, I asked the internet when exactly this age occurred. It was 1920–1950ish. My Italian great-grandparents had left the old country by then, but maybe they listened to Italian music when they made it to small-town Pennsylvania…

Anyhoo, I’ve given it a spin a few times and I really like it. I find the tempo and the language to be soothing. Listening to it makes me feel connected to my Great-Grandpa Francesco and Great-Grandma Francesca. Or shall I say mi bisnonno and bisnonna! …Not to mention my Italian American grandmother, Nancy, who died when my mom was a teen.

A bonus to the CD is a recipe for an Italian cocktail called a sgroppino. It consists of Prosecco, vodka, and lemon sorbet.

I’m a fan of Prosecco and any kind of frozen dessert, so I was eager to try a drink that combined the two.

The drink is very sweet, so if you don’t have a sweet tooth, it might be too much for you. I do have a sweet tooth and therefore enjoyed it. Upon drinking it, I immediately wondered why I didn’t combine frozen dessert and alcohol more regularly. If you have any recipes, hit me up!