Sherbet
A sweet, fruit-flavored frozen dessert, occasionally used to add sweetness and body to blended drinks.
Origin
Persia and the Middle East, where sweetened, chilled fruit drinks called "sharbat" date back centuries, later evolving in different directions in different countries (a frozen dessert in the U.S., a fizzy powder candy in the UK).
History
The word "sherbet" traces to the Persian and Arabic "sharbat," a sweetened, often fruit- or flower-flavored chilled drink with centuries of history across the Middle East and South Asia. The word took very different paths once it reached English: in the United States, "sherbet" became a frozen dairy-and-fruit dessert similar to but creamier than sorbet, while in Britain it became a fizzy, tangy powder candy. In American cocktails, sherbet usually refers to the frozen dessert, blended into a drink for both flavor and texture, similar to how sorbet functions in a cocktail.
Flavor profile
Sweet and fruity, with a light, creamy texture (in the American frozen-dessert sense).
Tasting notes
A scoop of sherbet brings both fruit flavor and a smooth, semi-frozen texture to a blended drink, similar to sorbet but slightly creamier thanks to a small amount of dairy content.
Substitutes
- Sorbet, for a very similar but dairy-free substitute.
- Ice cream, for a richer, creamier substitute.
- Fruit juice blended with crushed ice, as a lighter, non-dairy approximation.