The sad news is that you can only taste the real Bellini for 3 months of the year, during the white peach season. At any other time, it will only be a pathetic copy. Better yet, do it in Italy. This drink is one of the fleeting joys of summer.
Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry's Vag in Venice, invented Beilini in 1945 and gave this blended drink a name in 1949, influenced by the characteristic pink color in paintings by Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516). The drink consists of two ingredients: white peach juice and sparkling wine. The color of the drink is created by "red veins", which are located at the point of contact between the flesh and the peach bone.
The abundance of peaches in Italy lasts from June to September, and Giuseppe Cipriani was so addicted to them that he wondered if there was a way to convey this magical scent to the drink that he could offer at Harry's Wag. He decided to experiment a bit with mashed small white peaches, adding some Prosecco. Over the years, Harry's Wag kitchens have mashed small, aromatic white peaches by hand squeezing them.
It is believed that no one in their right mind drinks Bellini in winter, even if frozen puree makes it possible to challenge nature. Nevertheless, in the film "Brodsky is not a Poet" you can see how a friend of the poet, an American artist, comes into this establishment in the winter, where they were with Joseph, and orders this cocktail.
What about the time of day? The cocktail is too heavy as an aperitif before lunch or dinner. The best time is to start the day for breakfast. Or, on the contrary, at the end of the day, accompanying the dessert.
How sweet should Bellini be? Moderately sweet for a distinctive peach flavor.
Some recipes include lemon juice as an ingredient. Where did this idea come from? Perhaps from a misunderstanding of the recipe of Harry's Wag himself. During the preparation of the puree, lemon juice is mentioned in a ratio of 1:10, which helps to prevent the oxidation of peach juice.
The proportions are a matter of taste. The Harry's Bar Cookbook features a 1: 3 ratio of puree to sparkling.
Finally, what type of glass should you use? Serving in a flute glass is graceful and beautiful. But the photo in The Harry’s Wag Cookbook does not capture a flute, but the view of a toggle switch with a rather thick bottom. It is in such a glass that a cocktail is served in the film "Brodsky is not a Poet".
The cocktail has 3 of the most famous variations: Puccini, Rossini and Tiziano.
In Puccini, peach puree is replaced with mandarin juice. The first mention is found in the 1992 book Bluff you way in Champagne by Nikolas Montesde. This drink is a tribute to the famous Italian composer of the 19th century Giacomo Puccini, namely the work of Madame Butterfly.
Rossini has replaced the peach puree with strawberry puree. Like the previous twist, this one was inspired by the work of another composer - Gioachino Antonio Rossini.
And finally, Tiziano is a drink based on sparkling wine and red grape juice. It was created in honor of the Italian painter of the Venetian school of the 15th century - Tiziano Vecellio.
Thus, these 4 variations add up to a single picture, which forms 4 successively changing seasons. Spring brings ripe strawberries (Rossini), summer brings sweet peaches (Bellini), autumn is rich in juicy grapes (Tiziano), and winter brings bright citrus mandarin (Puccini).
