The Bellini trades the Mimosa's orange juice for white peach purée. Prosecco and ripe peach make a softer, rounder, gently perfumed drink — pale pink, lightly sweet, and unmistakably Venetian.
A sunset in Venice, served in a flute.
Born at Harry's Bar
The Bellini was created around 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani at Harry's Bar in Venice. He named its soft pink colour for a tone in a painting by the fifteenth-century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini — a drink named, fittingly, for a painter of light.
White Peach, and Why
Cipriani's Bellini used puréed white peaches, which are more delicate and floral than yellow ones. When white peaches are out of season, a good-quality peach purée or nectar is the accepted substitute — fresh, ripe fruit is always the goal.
Prosecco, Not Champagne
The Bellini is a Prosecco drink. Prosecco's softer, fruitier sparkle suits the peach far better than Champagne's drier, more mineral character — this is one case where the Italian sparkling wine is not a substitute but the point.
The Mimosa Family
The classic — equal parts chilled sparkling wine and orange juice, served in a flute.
- 3 ozSparkling wine
- 3 ozOrange juice
London's take on the Mimosa — Champagne-led, with just a little orange juice.
- 4 ozChampagne
- 2 ozOrange juice
The Mimosa dressed for the holidays — cranberry and orange liqueur with sparkling wine.
- 1/2 ozOrange liqueur
- 2 ozCranberry juice
- 4 ozSparkling wine