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Featured Cocktail - The Bellini
Rate it! Votes (2) | Comments (0) By Cheri Sicard Photos: Mitch Mandell Posted August 6th, 2007 FabulousFoods.com Recommends: The Little Black Book of Cocktails: The Essential Guide to New & Old Classics (Little Black Books) (Little Black Books (Peter Pauper Hardcover)), by Virginia Reynolds, (2003, Peter Pauper Press)	The Little Black Book of Cocktails: The Essential Guide to New & Old Classics (Little Black Books) (Little Black Books (Peter Pauper Hardcover))

Bellinis seem to have an aura of elegance and respect among cocktails. Mention a Bellini to anyone who has had the pleasure of drinking a good one and their eyes get that far away look, and they are likely to get lost in a momentary nostalgic remembrance of the experience. You may even find yourself having to interrupt this reverie in order to bring your friend back to the present.

Bellinis have an effect on people that goes beyond the pleasures of a simple cocktail. Perhaps it's because they are a somewhat unique beverage that you are only likely to find during special occasions or at high end establishments. Which would explain why Bellini aficionados will go out of their way to get the cocktail -- they are trying to recapture the magic of the entire Bellini experience. I have one friend who can't go to Las Vegas without at least one pilgrimage to the Bellagio Hotel's Fontana Bar for their version of the classic cocktail. I can hardly blame him. The Bellini is good, but the setting is spectacular, as the Fontana Bar looks out over the Bellagio's incredible dancing fountains and the Las Vegas strip beyond. The place also boasts some of the best lounge entertainment in all of Las Vegas -- all in all one first class place too enjoy a cocktail or two.

Bellini History
Italy already had a long tradition of marinating fresh peaches in wine before Giuseppi Cipriani invented the Bellini in 1948 at Harry's Bar in Venice. But the inventive bartender took the concept to new heights when he mixed white peach puree with Prosecco (Italy's version of champagne). The drink was simple but delicious and instantly became a classic at the famous Venice Bar (a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway) and later at its New York counterpart.

Because of its unique color, which reminded him of the color of a sunset in a painting by 15th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini, Cipraiani named the drink the Bellini. The rest is history. The drink is still popular today and in true classic cocktail fashion has spawned numerous imitations and variations.

Bellini Basics
The true Bellini is Zen-like in it's simplicity -- a mixture of white peach puree and Prosecco. That said, there are many variations and offshoots. If you can't get white peach puree or white peaches to make your own puree, you can use canned peach nectar instead. It's not nearly as good as the real thing... sometimes. In other words, it's better to use canned peach nectar than peach puree made from flavorless or out of season peaches.

While Prosecco (an dry Italian sparkling wine) was used in Giuseppi Cipriani's original Bellini, you can also any dry Champagne or sparkling wine. Making Bellinis is a great way to use up your leftover New Year's Eve bubbly.

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