If you’ve ever wondered where your childhood friends are, this is a story about what can happen when you stay in touch. It’s about Bret Birnbaum and David Zablocki, who grew up in Queens with another friend who will remain nameless, because he would grow up to be their silent investor. David became a chef in Big Sur; Bret worked in the computer industry in SF but was itching for a change. So when he visited David at his restaurant and was wowed by his food, the light bulb went off: They could open a restaurant together. Bret moved back east and settled in Williamsburg, David followed suit and they shopped around for a space. One after another fell through — including the storefront that Lodge ultimately claimed. But in the midst of all this, David was brainstorming the menu for their wine bar and restaurant. He wanted to serve something he’d made out West: wine sorbet.

“Whoaa,” said Bret. “What did you say? Wine? In Sorbet?”

The restaurant was out, and Wine Cellar Sorbets, launched in January of last year, was in. Specifically, Rose, Champagne, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Reisling and Sangria sorbets made from real Calirornia, New York, and Spanish wines in their Greenpoint factory. Each flavor really reflects the wine it’s made from: the Reisling is crisp and refreshing, the pinot noir light and delicate, the sangria — which comes with an orange wedge — sweet and fruity. They’re now in over 100 stores in the tri-state area, including Whole Foods, but they’ve taken some time to catch on. Birnbaum says some people are still surprised that the sorbets actually taste like wine — it runs so counter to what we expect from a dessert — but that is beginning to change. They were hits at the Fancy Food show last week, which will help them to reach supermarkets nationally, and two weeks ago they began selling the sorbets online to customers as far as California and as close as NYC (we can be so lazy sometimes). And now, using the carts they made for the food show, they’ll be appearing more often at events like the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition “Really Big Art Show” that opens in Red Hook next weekend. (They’re available to cater parties, too.)

The one lingering question we had, of course, was whether you could get drunk from this adult dessert. Bret swears this is impossible: each pint has only 5% alcohol by volume, equivalent to a glass of beer. So if you feel a buzz, it’s probably just brain freeze.

For stores and more information, visit winecellarsorbets.com.

Today’s post brought to you by Nicole.