| IBA Official Cocktail | |
|---|---|
| Type | Wine cocktail |
| Primary alcohol by volume | |
| Served | Straight up; without ice |
| Standard drinkware | Champagne flute |
| IBA specified ingredients* |
|
| Preparation | Pour peach puree into chilled flute, add gently sparkling wine. Stir gently. |
| Notes | Traditionally a Bellini uses Prosecco for the wine and white peaches for the fruit. |
A Bellini is a long drink cocktail that originated in Venice. It is a mixture of sparkling wine (traditionally Prosecco) and peach purée often served at celebrations. It is one of Italy's most popular cocktails.[1]
Contents |
The Bellini was invented sometime between 1934 and 1948[1][2][3][4] by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy. Because of its unique pink color, which reminded Cipriani of the color of the toga of a saint in a painting by 15th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini, he named the drink the Bellini.[1][5]
The drink started as a seasonal specialty at Harry's Bar, a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis and Orson Welles.[1][5] Later, it also became popular at the bar's New York counterpart. After an entrepreneurial Frenchman set up a business to ship fresh white peach pureé to both locations, it was a year-round favorite.[2]
The Bellini is an IBA Official Cocktail, thus indicating its popularity and making it a well-known cocktail to many professional bartenders.
In relation to the United States: "I think that the Bellini growth is tied to the very strong Italian chain restaurant growth, especially Olive Garden, since Italian restaurants are where Bellinis and drinks like them are featured and promoted," says Jack Robertiello, editor of Cheers magazine.[1]
A frozen Bellini is the signature drink of Romano's Macaroni Grill, a chain restaurant in the U.S.A.
Bellinis are consumed throughout the first half of Geoff Dyer's Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi.
The maitre d' at the Manhattan restaurant Pastel in Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho brings 3 rounds of complimentary Bellinis, none of which the men drink.
In the 2011 American comedy film Jumping the Broom, Bellinis were served when the families of the bride and groom met for the first time.
The Bellini consists of puréed white peaches and Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine. Marinating fresh peaches in wine is an Italian tradition.[2] The original recipe was made with a bit of raspberry or cherry juice to give the drink a pink glow.[4] Due, in part, to the limited availability of both white peaches and Prosecco, several variations exist.
California produces a white peach that works well,[6] and yellow peaches or peach nectar can be substituted, especially if peaches are out of season and the flavor would be very bland. Other fruits or even flavoured liqueurs (peach schnapps, for example) are sometimes substituted for the peach puree.
The Cipriani family produces Bellini Base for the signature cocktail of the Harry's Bar restaurants.
Other sparkling wines are commonly used in place of Prosecco, though richly flavored French champagne does not pair well with the light, fruity flavor of the Bellini. For a non-alcoholic version, sparkling juice or seltzer is used in place of the champagne.[7]
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