It may be 60 years old, but it's lively, effervescent, elegant, and
delicious. The Bellini is the sort of cocktail for which one longs on
a hot day. And it's so easy to make!
According to legend, Giuseppe Cipriani's fondness for Italian white peaches inspired him to create the Bellini for his famed Harry's Bar (a haunt of Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, and Orson Welles) in Venice, Italy. The recipe is simple: puréed white peaches and prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine vinified from the eponymous grape. The drink, incidentally, derives its name from the similarity of its pinkish color to that of a painting by another Venetian, 15th-century artist Giovanni Bellini. A near-replica of the Venetian Harry's Bar (the namesake of Cipriani's business partner, Harry Pickering) can be found just off the lobby of the Sherry-Netherland on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.
Enough talk, let's drink! How does one make a good Bellini? If you haven't the inclination to purée white Italian peaches yourself, you could try one of several peach nectars available at your grocery store. The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley makes a superior white peach product, but is somewhat pricey and requires ordering online. Personally, I like the convenience and taste of Stirrings Simple Peach Bellini Mixer—it's widely available and, at $8.99, fairly affordable. No matter what you choose, avoid peach schnapps!
It's important to use prosecco—not Champagne—when making a Bellini. (Champagne tends to overpower the peach's delicate flavors.) My choice is Prosecco Villa Jolanda: it's young, fresh, and reasonably priced at $8.99.
Stirrings Classic Peach Bellini recipe recommends using 1 part peach mixer to 4 parts prosecco. I found the tastiest ratio, however, to include a slightly higher proportion of peach nectar.
Finally, serve your Bellini in a champagne flute. No other glass captures the essence of the drink's stylishness. Salute!
I love bellinis! Thank you so much for sharing this, especially the alternatives when you just don't have time to puree or it's now the season for peaches.
Posted by: BakingWithoutABox | 03 February 2010 at 03:34 PM