Elite Breeder Sherbinskis Buzzes Vegan Gelato Without Pot
There’s no THC, CBD or dairy in these frozen desserts inspired by designer breeder’s famously fruity flowers
By Ed Murrieta
Two guys who love a famous Italian frozen confection and cult-like strains of California cannabis of the same name have concocted pints, popsicles and chocolate-coated cones that pair with designer weed — dreamy evocations of summer to pique our senses during the dreary coronavirus quarantine.
Neither is named Ben or Jerry.
Mario Guzman and Gabriele Poli are the dulce duo whose gelato and sorbet collaborations celebrate and complement frozen confections sought after by celebrities and fruit-forward cannabis strains prized among connoisseurs who can afford $70 eighths.
Guzman, aka Mr. Sherbinski, is the high-end cannabis breeder and fashion icon whose Gelato and Sunset Sherbert strains are rooted in San Francisco. Poli is the founder of Italy’s Gelato Festival, the prestigious competition whose flagship gelato parlor in West Hollywood sells online and ships nationwide.
Guzman and Poli pulled off their frozen-confection collaborations without dairy, terpenes or cannabinoids.
Sherbinskis-Gelato Festival’s first collaborations are vegan mocha gelato and strawberry-citrus-banana sorbet. Vegan mocha gelato is crafted with oat milk to pair with Bacio Gelato 41, a rich, creamy smoke with sweet overtones. Sunset Sherbert sorbet is crafted to match the high fruity flavors of that float in namesake strain’s smoke.
Even before I partakook of a pairing puff, vegan mocha gelato induced a flashback to summer days eating chocolate malted ice cream at Candlestick Park. Without egg or cream, the gelato was less dense and creamy than traditional gelato but had the body of many better ice creams. Oat milk’s bright hazelnut notes stayed in the background and played on my palate. A swirl of frozen vegan dark chocolate added flavor and textural differences. In popsicle and cone forms, mocha gelato is coated with dark chocolate and sprinkled with crushed hazelnuts.
Sunset Sherbert sorbet comes in the same confection forms but are coated with vegan white chocolate and glittery sprinkles.
I was unable to find Sherbinskis’ Sunset Sherbert cannabis strain in Sacramento so I paired half-pints, popsicles and chocolate-coated cones of the cannabis-friendly gelato and sorbet confections with Sherbinskis’ Bacio Gelato 41. The best pairings resulted from smoking first and eating second.
Subtle mocha and nutty oat flavors bloomed in my mouth — and their temperatures seemed to as well, cooler, crisper and more refreshing, like inhaling smoke through an ice-filled bong.
Sunset Sherbert sorbet might have been designed for a fruitier strain, but its strawberry, Sicilian blood orange, Sicilian mandarin and banana flavors catch and ride the wave of Bacio Gelato 41’s earthier notes, oozing an appealing after-taste of Runts candy soaked in cold water. The pot pairing affected white chocolate coatings the most, turning heavy bubblegum milkshake flavor into light cotton candy.
Like the pricey pot they pair with, Gelato Festival’s Sherbinskis pints ($11), half pints ($8) popsicles ($9) and chocolate-coated cones ($9 large. $6 mini) aren’t cheap. Frozen confections ordered from www.gelatofestival.store arrive via UPS in a box packed with dry ice.
