Bellini

Ingredients

Purée

• 4ripe white peaches
• a squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 tspsugar, only if the peaches need it

Wine

• 1 bottleProsecco, well chilled

To serve

• chilled flutes
• no garnish at all

Directions

1. Use peaches that are genuinely ripe, fragrant and soft enough to give under gentle pressure. If yours are hard, leave them at room temperature for a few days until they smell of peach.
2. Add a small squeeze of lemon to the purée as soon as it is made. It also brightens the flavour, and it should be a squeeze rather than a real quantity. Taste the peach purée on its own first. A properly ripe white peach needs no sugar at all, and a Bellini is not meant to be a sweet drink.
3. Add a little only if the fruit is disappointing, and stop well short of making it sweet. Chill the purée thoroughly, and chill the Prosecco until it is genuinely cold.
4. Warm purée kills the bubbles instantly and the drink goes flat before it reaches the table. Chill the glasses too, which is what a bar would do. Use a dry Prosecco, brut or extra dry, since the purée already brings sweetness. The classic ratio is about one part purée to two parts Prosecco.
5. Adjust to taste, and err on the side of more fruit rather than less. Now the pouring, which needs a light hand. Put the cold purée in the bottom of the flute first.
6. Pour slowly, since the purée makes the wine foam up dramatically and it will overflow. Let the foam subside between additions.
7. Stir it as little as possible, since agitation drives off the bubbles. Some bars do not stir at all and let it mix as it is drunk. Serve it immediately, with no garnish.

Technique

• It was created by Giuseppe Cipriani at Harry’s Bar in Venice around 1948.
• White peaches are essential; yellow ones give a coarser, more acidic drink.
• Sieving rather than blending keeps the drink clear rather than frothy.

Substitutions

• Frozen white peach purée out of season.
• Another dry Italian sparkling wine in place of Prosecco.

Variations

• The Rossini, made with strawberry purée.
• The Puccini, made with mandarin juice.
• The Tiziano, made with red grape juice.

History

Created by Giuseppe Cipriani at Harry’s Bar in Venice around 1948, its colour recalling a Giovanni Bellini painting.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bellini?

Bellini is a cocktail from Italy: white peach purée topped with cold Prosecco, served in a flute. Created by Giuseppe Cipriani at Harry’s Bar in Venice around 1948, its colour recalling a Giovanni Bellini painting.

How long does Bellini take to make?

Bellini takes 15 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 4 drinks. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Bellini?

Yes, within limits. Frozen white peach purée out of season. Another dry Italian sparkling wine in place of Prosecco.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bellini?

Add a small squeeze of lemon to the purée as soon as it is made. It also brightens the flavour, and it should be a squeeze rather than a real quantity. Taste the peach purée on its own first. A properly ripe white peach needs no sugar at all, and a Bellini is not meant to be a sweet drink.