Contents
Greetings, dear reader!
When Pierre Perignon tasted his own champagne for the first time, he called the monks and told them: “Now I will taste the stars!” This romantic definition goes well with different types of sparkling wines, whether they are sweet or dry.
Therefore, drinks mixed with them are bright, playful and a little daring. Today I will tell you about the Bellini cocktail, which is also popularly called “peach champagne”.
What is this cocktail
The Bellini cocktail comes from Venice and was first made in the 1940s. It was invented by Giuseppe Cipriani – the famous owner of Harry’s Bar, who is also considered the creator of carpaccio (an Italian dish based on beef tenderloin).
Cipriani wanted to prepare a soft and tasty seasonal drink for the artistic bohemians who frequented his establishment (for example, Ernest Hemingway and Sinclair Lewis were regular guests of the bar). To do this, he mixed Prosecco sparkling wine and delicate peach puree.
The resulting cocktail had an unusual color, reminding Cipriani of the way the Italian artist Giovani Bellini depicted the attire of angels. In honor of him, the drink got its name. Someone, however, associates its name with the name of another Italian celebrity – the composer Vincenzo Bellini (Vincenzo Bellini).
After a while, the cocktail became popular in the New York establishment of the same owner. And when Cipriani began to produce peach puree himself, and not to order, he included Bellini in the permanent menu.
An interesting fact: the name of the Bellini cocktail is associated not only with famous artists or composers. Now the Hungarian adult film star, who has taken the pseudonym Anita Bellini, is actively filming.
What bowl is it served in?
The Bellini cocktail is served in a tall champagne flute glass. Due to the elongated narrow shape, such a glass does not release gas from sparkling wines for a long time, and the drink retains its taste.
If a flute is not on hand, the domesticated version of the cocktail can be served in a highball (a tall, cylinder-shaped glass, often decorated) or a collinse (a narrow, tall glass for long drinks).
An interesting fact: some bartenders consider Bellini to be traditionally served in a highball. The thing is that this glass was branded at Harry’s Bar, where the cocktail was invented.
Composition of the product
The list of components of the classic Bellini includes sparkling wine (dry) and peach puree. The recipe is very simple and does not require any additions, except perhaps sugar syrup (it is added in cases where peach sweetness is not enough).
Cocktail variations
The traditional Bellini includes only sparkling wine (since the history of the cocktail began in Venice, Italian Prosecco is used) and peach puree. Gradually began to spread varieties of Bellini, which add vodka, vermouth (for example, Martini / Martini), gin (for example, Beefeater / Beefeater) or exclude alcohol altogether.
There are several official versions of Bellini with different purees: Puccini with tangerine, Rossini with strawberry, Tintoretto with pomegranate juice.
There are also amateur versions of the cocktail, for the preparation of which some ingredients are replaced or new ones are added. I will also talk about such interesting Bellini below.
Energy value per 100 g of product
100 g of Bellini cocktail contains about 50 kilocalories. There are practically no fats or proteins in it, and carbohydrates account for the main energy value.
Please note: one serving of Bellini contains 150-200 g, so if you consider the calorie content of your diet, then do not forget to multiply the energy value of 100 g of the cocktail by the volume actually drunk.
Required ingredients for 1 serving
Before you make a Bellini cocktail, you need to decide on peaches. The thing is that the recipe contains peach puree, and you can either cook it yourself from fruits and sugar, or buy it ready-made. Puree for bars is sold in special bottles, from which it is convenient to squeeze out the right amount of product.
One of the most popular producers of mashed potatoes is the French company Monin (it also produces the famous syrups). Their products are always tasty and of sufficient quality, without unnecessary chemicals.
If you want to buy Bellini puree from another manufacturer, then be sure to pay attention to the composition: the taste of chemistry can ruin even the most skillfully prepared cocktail.
Step by step recipe how to make a cocktail at home
Next, I will tell you about eight options for how to cook Bellini. Among the recipes there will be both classic options and completely unexpected ones – for example, a cocktail … with cheese. Oh, those Italians, you often don’t know what to expect from their cuisine! Although, you can always expect cheese from their cuisine, to be honest.
Classic recipe
So, let’s start with the traditional Bellini. Required ingredients: Prosecco sparkling wine (100 ml), peach puree (20 g), lemon juice and sugar syrup (optional).
Cooking process:
- In a special glass for mixing cocktails (they are in bars, but at home you can take any glass) put mashed potatoes.
- Drizzle the puree with lemon juice and add sugar syrup if you want to brighten up the taste.
- Gently pour everything with sparkling wine, add a few ice cubes. Mix.
- Pour the cocktail through a strainer into a glass – so that the ice does not fall into it.
I described a simple version of making Bellini with ready-made puree. If you want to process the peaches yourself, then they will need to be peeled and pitted and ground in a blender along with sugar.
Non-alcoholic option
Alcoholic Bellini is not for everyone: if you drive a car, are expecting a baby, or just don’t want to drink alcohol, then you can try a soft version of the cocktail. To create it, you will also need peach puree, sugar syrup and lemon juice.
And instead of sparkling wine, you can choose something from special, non-alcoholic champagne (look for dry, not baby) or take soda.
The preparation process also does not differ from a classic cocktail: puree and additional ingredients must be placed on ice, then poured with a carbonated drink, mixed and poured into a chilled glass.
Recipe with champagne
Prosecco is not called a specific type of champagne, as you might think, but an Italian dry sparkling wine. Moreover, champagne (also sparkling wine, but which is produced in France in the province of Champagne) is its main competitor.
You can replace Prosecco with it in a Bellini cocktail if you don’t have the opportunity to cook according to the original recipe.
The process of preparing a champagne cocktail is no different from the classic version – mix everything on ice, cool and pour into a glass.
Important! Pay attention to what kind of champagne you buy for a cocktail. Take only quality products – wine drinks at a very budget price often taste bad and have an ugly effect on well-being.
Bellini with pear juice
A very interesting recipe that will remind you of duchess … only alcoholic. For cooking you will need: pear juice (20 ml), gin (30 ml), Prosecco.
Shake gin and pear juice in a shaker with ice. Then pour the resulting mixture into a glass, pour chilled sparkling wine on top and add a couple of mint leaves for decoration and a special aroma.
Belini with strawberries
Strawberry Bellini has its own name – Rossini. It is prepared on the basis of strawberry puree: you can make it yourself in a blender from fresh berries and sugar, or take ready-made.
The cooking process does not differ from the traditional one – pour puree and lemon juice (if you want sourness) onto ice, add sparkling wine and mix well, then pour the chilled drink into the main glass.
Important! If you rarely make cocktails, then I do not recommend purchasing bottled puree. It is organic and will spoil quickly even in the refrigerator before you use it. Therefore, if you have a one-time experiment, it is better to buy some fresh berries or fruits.
Focaccia with bellini cheese
Due to its sweet taste, Bellini is considered a dessert cocktail, so you should drink it after the main meal.
If you or your Italian wife want to have a real Italian dinner, then you can make your own focaccia (this is a flatbread made from wheat flour with blue cheese), pasta (Carbonara with bacon, Bolognese with meat, seafood or vegetables – there are a lot of types) or lasagna.
And at the end, complete the feast with a sweet peach cocktail – it will turn out delicious, organic, and if you want – romantic.
Based on champagne
If you want to cook Bellini with champagne, then it must be dry. The sweet taste will overpower the peach flavor. By the way, that is why it is still recommended to use sparkling wine for a cocktail.
The fact is that champagne has a richer and sharper taste, which will drown out the peach to some extent.
There is another very similar cocktail – it is called Adalor. To prepare it, you need to knead the pulp of a peach at the bottom of the glass and pour it with champagne.
Strawberry Lemon Bellini
In order to prepare this interesting cocktail, you will need: strawberries (75 g), sugar syrup (2 teaspoons), lemon juice (20 ml), rose water (15 ml), dry sparkling wine.
Cooking process:
- Put the berries in a blender, pour sugar syrup and lemon juice over them. Grind everything thoroughly so that a homogeneous mass is obtained (liquid version of mashed potatoes).
- Chill the champagne and ground strawberries in the refrigerator. Glasses can also be pre-chilled to better hold the temperature of the cocktail.
- Pour strawberries into a glass, pour sparkling wine on top (pour carefully, along the wall so that the wine does not foam much).
Rose water can be hard to find. Instead, you can use rose syrup (Monin has it) or orange liqueur (Cuatro or Triple Sec).
peach bellini cocktail
The original Bellini cocktail, which is made in Italy, is made from real fruits. Remember, I said that Giuseppe Cipriane started the production of peach puree much later than he came up with his cocktail? Now it is supplied to Harry’s Bar under the laconic name Bellini base (“Bellini base”).
Initially, peaches were used for Bellini, which, according to Italian tradition, were marinated in white wine. And already during the preparation of the cocktail, a couple of drops of cherry or raspberry juice were added to it to give a pink tint. Now you can use any berry syrup or grenadine for this.
There is also a very simple recipe for homemade Bellini: mix peach juice and champagne. But this is too boring option for those who want to appreciate the richness of the taste of a real cocktail.
Cooking video
In order to better understand the technique of making cocktails, it is always better to look at a photo or video – to imagine what should be obtained. I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the following video (in which the bartender prepares a traditional Bellini and talks about various nuances):
How to serve and drink
Twists are commonly used to decorate Bellini. These are beautiful curls made from lemon peel, oranges or grapefruit. To make it, you need to carefully cut a thin strip of peel and string it with a spiral on a special knife.
Or you can make a small incision on the strip and turn the edges in opposite directions.
Well, you need to drink Bellini the way you like it. But I do not recommend too much tightening – even in a flute, sparkling wine will gradually run out of steam.
Conclusion
As we can see, Bellini is associated with all cocktails that are filled with sparkling wine. Many of them got their own names – for example, Mimosa or Puccini.
Therefore, if you can prepare several puree bases at once and try to mix them with sparkling wine, adding additional ingredients, you may like some experiment even more than the original cocktail.
Well, I say goodbye to you on this. In order not to miss new interesting cocktail recipes, subscribe to blog articles, visit often and share them with your friends!