Venice, Italy · 1948

Bellini

Also known as Peach Bellini

A Bellini is just peach purée and Prosecco, but when the peaches are right, it's one of the best simple drinks there is.

peachsparklingsweetbrunchItalianrefreshingbubblylightcelebratoryfruit-forward

ABV

Difficulty

Overview

What this drink is like

The first sip is all ripe peach and soft bubbles — sweet and round with a slight tang from the wine. The middle stays fruity but the Prosecco's dryness starts to cut through. It finishes quick and clean, with just a whisper of peach left behind.

Who will like it

This is for people who like sweet, fruity, easy-drinking sparklers — not for anyone looking for something spirit-forward or bitter.

When to drink

This is a brunch staple and a great way to kick off a celebration — pour it when you want something light and festive before a meal.

Ordering tip

Ask if they use real white peach purée — the canned stuff tastes noticeably different, and some bars swap in peach nectar which makes it sweeter and thinner.

Ice: NoneTemp: ColdCost: $2–$6Glass: FluteBatch-friendlyHome bar friendly

Flavor

Taste profile

The Bellini is a straightforward sweet sparkler that tastes like fresh peaches dissolved into bubbly wine. The Prosecco adds a dry edge and lively carbonation that keeps the sweetness from taking over, but this is unapologetically a fruit-forward drink. There's not much depth or complexity — two ingredients doing one thing well. The body is light, the bubbles do most of the work, and the finish is gone before you know it.

Finish: The finish is short and clean, with fading peach sweetness and a last prickle of bubbles on the tongue.

Primary tastes

sweetfruity

Secondary

floralsour

Aroma

ripe peachyeastblossomcitrus zest

Sweetnessquite sweet
The peach purée makes this a decidedly sweet drink, with the Prosecco adding a touch more residual sugar.
Sournessbarely sour
A faint tartness from the peach and the wine's acidity, but you'd never call this sour.
Strengthlow alcohol
At around 8% ABV, this is a light drink you can sip through brunch without feeling it hit.
Refreshingvery refreshing
Cold, bubbly, and fruity — this is about as refreshing as cocktails get.
Creaminesslight body
The purée gives it a slightly thicker mouthfeel than straight Prosecco, but it's still light and clean.
Complexitysimple
Two ingredients, one flavor idea — peach meets bubbles, and that's the whole story.

Recipe

Make it at home

Built · Flute · equal parts on Prosecco. Brut or Extra Dry recommended; chill well before using

Before you start

Make sure both the Prosecco and the peach purée are well chilled before you start. If you're making purée from fresh peaches, blend them smooth and strain out any chunks.

Ingredients

ProseccoBase SpiritBrut or Extra Dry; chill before using100ml
White peach puréeOtherSmooth purée, not chunky; white peaches preferred for color and delicate flavor50ml
Peach sliceoptionalGarnishTraditional Bellini is served ungarnished1 slice

Garnish: Peach slice

Tools

Champagne flute · Serving
The glass you build and serve the drink in, keeping the bubbles concentrated
At home: A white wine glass works if you don't have a flute
Bar spoon · Mixing
Gently stirring the purée into the Prosecco without flattening the bubbles
At home: A long-handled teaspoon or a chopstick
Jigger · optional · Measuring
Measuring the purée and Prosecco for consistent ratios
At home: A shot glass or small measuring cup

Steps

1
If you have time, pop your champagne flute in the freezer for five minutes — a frosty glass keeps the bubbles lively longer. If you're in a rush, fill it with ice water while you get the other ingredients out, then dump the water and shake out any drops.
!Skipping the chill means your drink warms up fast and loses its fizz quickly.
2
Measure out 50ml of white peach purée and pour it into the bottom of the chilled flute. You want a smooth purée, not chunky — if yours is thick or fibrous, press it through a fine strainer first so it mixes evenly with the wine.
!Using chunky purée or fresh peach pieces won't blend smoothly and blocks the bubbles from rising.
3
Open your Prosecco and slowly pour 100ml down the inside wall of the glass, tilting the flute at an angle like you're pouring beer into a glass. The purée will start to mix on its own as the wine fills the glass, and you'll see it turn a soft, pale pink.
!Pouring the Prosecco straight down the middle makes it foam up and overflow the glass.
4
Take a bar spoon and give the drink one slow, gentle stir from the bottom to lift the purée into the wine — just enough to bring it together. Stop as soon as the color is even throughout; you'll know you're done when there's no purée sitting at the bottom.
!Stirring too aggressively kills the carbonation and leaves you with a flat drink.

Serve

Serve it right away in the flute with no ice — the drink should be cold from the chilled ingredients alone. Add a peach slice on the rim if you like, but the classic version comes bare.

Variations

Ingredient substitutions

Each row shows what you can swap in place of an original ingredient, and how the drink changes.

Swap options for White peach purée

White peach puréeYellow peach purée
Match
Common availability
White peach purée → Yellow peach purée: Slightly less delicate flavor with a deeper, jammy quality and an orange tint instead of pale pink.
White peach puréePeach nectar
Match
Common availability
White peach purée → Peach nectar: Thinner and sweeter than purée, with a more processed taste and less fresh fruit character.

Swap options for Prosecco

ProseccoChampagne
Match
Common availability
Prosecco → Champagne: Drier and sharper with tighter bubbles, giving the drink a more austere, structured feel.
ProseccoCava
Match
Common availability
Prosecco → Cava: Similar dryness to Prosecco but with a slightly more citrusy, yeasty character.

Similar cocktails

Cousin drinks that share DNA with this one — each profile stands on its own.

Similar cocktail

Mimosa

The Mimosa uses orange juice instead of peach purée, making it more tart and citrusy.

Match

The Mimosa is brighter and more acidic from the orange juice, while the Bellini is softer and sweeter with a rounder mouthfeel from the peach purée.

In common: Sparkling wine base, Fruit mixer, Built in glass, Brunch staple, Low ABV

Ingredients

Both share

Sparkling wine

Only in Bellini

White peach purée

Only in Mimosa

Orange juice

Both drinks are simply sparkling wine mixed with fruit, but the Bellini uses peach purée for sweetness and body while the Mimosa uses orange juice for brightness and acidity.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Light and bubbly, Fruit-forward, Low ABV, Refreshing

How Mimosa differs

Mimosa is more tart and acidic, Bellini is sweeter and softer, Bellini has more body from the purée

View recipe & details →

Similar cocktail

Rossini

The Rossini uses strawberry purée instead of peach, giving it a berry flavor and reddish color.

Match

The Rossini tastes like strawberry where the Bellini tastes like peach — same structure, different fruit personality.

In common: Prosecco base, Fruit purée mixer, Built in glass, Italian origin

Ingredients

Both share

Prosecco

Only in Bellini

White peach purée

Only in Rossini

Strawberry purée

The Rossini is the same construction as the Bellini but swaps peach for strawberry purée, changing the fruit character entirely.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Sweet and fruity, Soft bubbles, Light body, Low ABV

How Rossini differs

Rossini has berry notes, Bellini is more delicate and floral, Rossini is slightly more tart

View recipe & details →

Similar cocktail

Puccini

The Puccini uses fresh mandarin juice instead of peach purée, making it more tart and less sweet.

Match

The Puccini is the sharpest of the three artist-named Venice sparklers, with mandarin juice giving it a zippy edge the Bellini doesn't have.

In common: Prosecco base, Fruit mixer, Built in glass, Italian origin, Named after Italian artists

Ingredients

Both share

Prosecco

Only in Bellini

White peach purée

Only in Puccini

Mandarin juice

The Puccini replaces peach purée with mandarin juice, shifting the drink from sweet and round to bright and citrusy.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Sparkling and refreshing, Fruit-forward, Light and easy-drinking

How Puccini differs

Puccini is more acidic, Bellini is sweeter and softer, Puccini has citrus notes instead of stone fruit

View recipe & details →

History

Origin

Giuseppe Cipriani invented the Bellini at Harry's Bar in Venice, naming it after the Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini because the drink's pink hue reminded him of a saint's toga in a Bellini painting. The exact year is debated — 1948 is most commonly cited, but some accounts place its creation earlier in the 1930s or 1940s. Cipriani originally used white peaches from the Veneto region, which produce a distinctive pale pink when puréed.

Creator: Giuseppe Cipriani at Harry's Bar
Era: 1940s
IBA: Contemporary Classics
Data version: IBA Contemporary Classics
Confidence

The exact year of creation is debated; 1948 is most commonly cited but some sources place it in the mid-1930s to 1940s. The IBA spec lists 10cl Prosecco and 5cl peach purée.

Practical

Tips & pitfalls

What works at home and what to skip when making this drink.

Tips

Worth knowing before you pour

Use white peaches in season — the flavor is much brighter than canned.
Chill both the Prosecco and purée before mixing so the drink stays cold on its own.
For a group, portion purée into glasses ahead of time and top with Prosecco when guests arrive.
A 2-to-1 ratio of Prosecco to purée is the sweet spot — any more purée and it gets heavy.

Avoid

Common mistakes

Don't use yellow peaches — they change the color and taste less refined.
Never stir hard or you'll flatten the drink and lose all the bubbles.
Don't build this over ice — it dilutes the purée and muddies the flavor.