Bellini is a delicious cocktail obtained by mixing peach nectar and spumante brut. It has a delicate, distinctive colour and it is usually served in a champagne flute, which adds to the elegance of the drink.
However, there is more to a Bellini cocktail that pretty colour and a delicious taste: this is a cocktail with a pedigree and a story worth telling.
Can’t make it now? Pin it for later!
We are participants in the Amazon Associates program that earns us a commission when a qualifying purchase is made.
The story of Bellini Coctkail
This is when and how the Bellini cocktail was born.
The history of the Bellini cocktail starts in Venice, Italy, in 1948.
On that year, Palazzo Ducale was getting ready for hosting an exhibition about Bellini the painter, and its organizers wanted to mark the occasion with the creation of a dedicated drink, to celebrate the event.
For such a refined task, they turned to Giuseppe Cipriani, owner of the famous Harry’s Bar in Venice and he proved to be the right man for the job. Taking inspiration by the distinctive colours of the palettes of Bellini’s canvas, he created a drink to match them, named after the painting master.
The success was instantaneous. The drink, despite or maybe because of its simple ingredients quickly became a favourite at Harry’s Bar and gained fans that included a Hemingway, Truman Capote, Orson Welles, Aristotele Onassis and Maria Callas.
How to make Bellini: the original recipe
The original Bellini recipe demands carefully selected ingredients and a precise preparation method. The recipe calls for 3/10 white peach puree (crushed, with the skin, then sieved) and 7/10 brut spumante, directly poured in cold glasses.
Several variations of Bellini exist including one with Champagne (bellini Royale), the closest to the original creation.
What you need to make Bellini
The key to a perfect Bellini lies in the quality of the ingredients: the peach needs to be with while pulp and perfectly ripe and the Spumante of impeccable quality and brut: a good Prosecco from Veneto, famous Italian wine region close to Venice, is best.
To make, you need a manual crusher, a sieve, bar spoon, champagne flutes and fresh fruit for decorating.
Bellini Cocktail Recipe
Perfect Bellini cocktail recipe, a classic Italian sparkling cocktail perfect for celebrations or an elegant aperitif.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces white peach nectar
- Brut spumante
Instructions
- Start by icing your flutes.
- Manually crunch your white peach, leaving the skin on, then use a stirrer to obtain a smooth puree.
- Pour the puree in the glass, then slowly pour the spumante on top. Top tip! To prevent the spumante to form excessive bubbles and spillover, you can use a long cocktails spoon and pour the spumante along it.
- This will reduce the bubbles and keep your cocktails (and bar counter!) clean.
- Delicately stir the cocktails with your spoon, use fresh fruit to garnish (Peach or lemon work best) and serve immediately.
Mama Loves A Drink advocates quality over quantity. Always drink responsibly!