The Forgotten Starbucks Sorbetto That Baristas Definitely Don't Miss

A barista shift isn't always smooth sailing. From needing to fill coffee orders with precise quickness to having to wipe up unexpected spills, employees at your local coffee houses certainly earn their keep. So when Starbucks announced a new drink recipe that required a special machine to make — plus additional time to close down the machine at the end of a long shift — it's no wonder company employees were less than enthusiastic about the menu addition.

For a brief time, sorbetto beverages graced drink lists at select Starbucks stores. The icy beverage offered a fruity alternative to creamy, caffeinated Frappuccinos, yet the slushies never fully caught on. Launched in 2008, the drink was nowhere to be found a year later, leaving some fans of the tropical tang and berry citrus sorbetto slushie options in dismay.

Though the drinks certainly were not the first nor the last Starbucks products to fail, the monstrous machines required to make the drinks gave workers pause. Imagine Slurpee machines cranking out cold drinks in your favorite childhood stores, and you'll have an idea of the contraption that was placed in the baristas' workspace. The dispenser reportedly added almost an hour of work for employees trying to close up shop and head home.

Sorbetto drinks were a relatively quick-to-launch product, hitting stores after four months of conception. The recipe drew inspiration from Pinkberry's tart treats and even labeled the company's logo next to the menu listings posted in Starbucks stores. Though sorbetto drinks were first toted as an homage to Italian recipes, the drink was more gas-station slushie and less refined European creation, and customers could choose from either individual pours or combinations of citrus ice and tangy sorbetto, with mango purée mixed into the sugary concoctions upon request.

Traditionally, sorbetto is a non-dairy dessert made similarly to gelato using only water, fruit, and sugar. With history traced to Chinese, Arabic, and Roman cultures, the Italians also took to the treat, adding seasonal fruit purée and blending mixtures until creamy and smooth. Even if you didn't get a chance to order this drink from Starbucks, you can whip up your own sorbet-style drink at home with berries, sugar, and lemon juice. The best part? You won't have a monster machine to clean up afterward.