The Bellini

The only thing more romantic than a gondola ride in Venice, is sipping a Bellini along the way. The sparkling cocktail was born at the legendary Harry’s Bar, the summer of 1948 just off Venice’s Grand Canal. The bar’s founder, Giuseppe Cipriani, created the Bellini during an art show dedicated to Venetian painter, Giovanni Bellini, whose artwork inspired him. Peaches seemed like the perfect sensual fruit to pair with Prosecco. The Bellini was a hit and is famous to this day.

The Venice Film festival drew big stars like Audrey Hepburn to discover Harry’s Bar and the famed Bellini. Audrey often ordered the refreshing cocktail after enjoying a gondola ride and according to her son, Luca Dotti, perfected the recipe, which he included in the book Audrey at Home. Her recipe notes specify that it must be Prosecco, not champagne in the Bellini. She said “the peach fragrance would be suffocated by the champagne.”

Many modern versions have muddled up the original recipe, often adding syrup in place of fresh peaches and tried to pass it off as a Bellini. Don’t let them fool you. Demand fresh peach puree and settle for nothing less. You won’t be disappointed. I’m dreaming of a gondola ride in Venice, Bellini in hand, now.

The Bellini Recipe (Inspired by Audrey & Harry’s Bar)

2 white ripe peaches preferred, peeled and diced

1 bottle cold Prosecco

Puree peaches to a pulp and pass it through a strainer.

Pour one part peach puree to two parts Prosecco into a small flute and serve immediately.

Zabelicious Tips:

Substitute frozen for fresh peaches (any variety) when not in season. Improvise with other fresh fruit when peaches are unavailable. Use a teaspoon of lemon juice to keep peaches from turning brown if you prepare the puree in advance. Add a teaspoon of sugar to the puree if you prefer a sweeter taste.