What do you do when it’s National Prosecco Week AND peach season in Georgia? Make a Bellini, of course!
In case you didn’t know, Georgia is called the “Peach State” and it's for a good reason. Our peaches are a thing of beauty, which you can’t eat without your face and hands getting covered in sticky, sweet juice! Peach season is a highlight of the year here, during which time we enjoy them any which way we can. We eat them, cook them, bake them, and at my house we drink them! So a peach Bellini is ALWAYS a summer must.
Who Invented the Bellini?
This famous cocktail was created by bartender Giuseppe Cipriani at Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. The story goes that sometime in the late 1930s, Cipriani had an excess amount of white peaches that he had no way to store, so he turned them into purée, added Prosecco and voilà! TheBellini was born.
However, this famous cocktail remained nameless until 1948 when Cipriani found himself inspired by the work of Italian Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini. To Cipriani, the drink’s pretty peach color reminded him of the warm tones that Bellini liked to use in his paintings, so he dubbed his sparkling concoction the “Bellini.”
Bellini Ingredients
Bellinis are made with two simple ingredients: peach purée and Prosecco!
While you can use any kind of peaches and bubbly you like, a classic Bellini is made with white peach purée and Prosecco, the combination of which is a little sweet, a little tart, and a whole lot delicious!
But not all Proseccos are created equal, and you definitely need a quality one for a proper Bellini. For mine, I used Ca’ Furlan’s Extra-Dry ‘Cuvée Beatrice’, which is produced in the foothills of Veneto west of the Dolomites, the freshness of which can be tasted in your glass. Bursting with flavors of white peach and lemon, with a touch of melon and a bit of stone, this elegant bubbly is the perfect Prosecco to use in this yummy peach-based cocktail.
Bellini VS. Mimosa
Although both are made with sparkling wine, please don’t confuse a Bellini with a Mimosa! Where the Italian-pedigreed Bellini calls for peach purée and Prosecco, the French-English-American-pedigreed Mimosa calls for orange juice and Champagne. (The origin of the Mimosa is unclear and is hotly debated! Some say it originated in 1921 at Buck’s Club in London, others say it came about in 1925 at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, while Alfred Hitchcock himself laid claim to inventing the drink in San Francisco in the 1940s…)
When to Serve a Bellini
Bellinis and summertime go hand in hand, but it’s also a drink that's delicious all year long. Perfect for brunching, patio sipping, special celebratory occasions and holidays, this glass of bubbly peach goodness is one of my favorite all-around sparkling sippers!
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