The Bellini
From The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails
was created around 1945 by Giuseppe Cipriani (1900–1980), founder of the legendary Harry’s Bar in Venice. By mixing a puree of fresh white peaches with prosecco, he created a cocktail that was refreshing and glamorous in equal measures. The Bellini was named for the fifteenth-century Venetian painter Giovanni Bellini, as the drink’s dream-like peach hue resembled one characteristic of the painter’s work.To achieve the Bellini’s signature rich foam and for good integration of flavor, the ingredients are best stirred slowly in a mixing glass and gently poured into a champagne flute or tumbler. The flavor profile of sparkling wine allows for many delicious variations on the Bellini, with purees of pear, almond, and raspberry drawing out different aspects of the prosecco.
*Recipe: Combine 50 ml fresh white peach puree and 100 ml chilled prosecco in a mixing glass and gently stir. Strain into a champagne flute.
Cipriani, Arrigo. The Harry’s Bar Cookbook*. London: John Blake, 2000.
By: Tony Conigliaro
This definition is from The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails, edited by David Wondrich (Editor-in-Chief) and Noah Rothbaum (Associate Editor).