The Bellini 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.
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