Bastardizing the Bellini

By Katherine

A lot of bubbles

We really are the worst tourists. On our honeymoon in Venice, we decided to pop by the famed Harry’s Bar, birthplace of the bellini. We took a look at the menu, decided the bellinis were overpriced and walked right back out. Hey, people expect Americans to be rude, we were merely living up to our reputation.

The restaurant’s website has some very particular rules about how a bellini should be served. The glass should be very cold. Only white peaches should be used and you should never, I repeat, NEVER use yellow peaches. Well, we have those in spades at this time of year, so we’re chucking that rule. The never use peach schnapps edict? We’re ignoring that one too. (Early peaches aren’t as sweet and adding a little schnapps is a quicker solution than making a simple syrup.) Crime of all crimes, we even used Cava, instead of a nice dry Prosecco.

So with all apologies to Giuseppe Cipriani here’s our version of the bellini.

The “Don’t call this a bellini” bellini

• Four white or yellow peaches, peeled and pitted
• 1 bottle of dry sparkling wine
• peach schnapps or sugar to taste

Puree peaches in blender. If they’re at their peak, you probably won’t need to add anything to sweeten the mix. If they’re not, add a tablespoon or so of sugar or schnapps. Put one to two tablespoons of fruit mix in the bottom of the wine glasses or champagne flutes. A three parts sparkling wine to one part puree is a good ratio. Make sure the bottom of the glass isn’t narrow or the puree will get stuck, like this. Top with champagne. Refrigerate any leftover puree.