Songbird, a cozy new hang in Raleigh, North Carolina, is all about staying fresh with the seasons. So it comes as no surprise that the bar’s Cantaloupe Sgroppino emerged from a trip to the farmers’ market where co-owners Charlie Blue Arm and Meg Paradise go twice a week to source produce from local purveyors. “If we see something pop up, we’re right on top of it, using it in a new drink or food item,” Blue Arm says.
Maximizing their intimate space in the East End neighborhood, the dusk-to-dawn cocktail bar offers peach matchas in the morning and bell pepper gimlets at night. Everything is sourced regionally, from the wood shelves and the art on the walls to the microgreens used for garnishes. Because of the simplicity of this recipe, “you can tell the cantaloupe is from the market earlier that day,” he says.
In a spritz-forward summer, this version of a classic Venetian Sgroppino is a nice alternative. (You can also skip the prosecco and just make the cantaloupe sorbet for a sweet treat.) Although the Songbird team uses liquid nitrogen for a fluffy sorbet texture in-house, Blue Arm says a simple blender will do for “a quick cocktail that can be made easily and consistently.”