Virgin Bellini
White peach purée and alcohol-free sparkling wine. Soft pink, light and brunch-ready.
- Time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Flute
- Strength
- Alcohol-free
How to make a Virgin Bellini
- Chill the glass. Put the flute in the freezer for 10 minutes. A cold glass keeps the fizz lively.
- Add the purée. Pour in the peach purée and the lemon juice. The lemon stops the purée browning and lifts the flavour.
- Top with sparkling wine. Pour the sparkling wine in slowly, down the side of the glass, until it reaches about 2 cm below the rim.
- Stir once. Stir gently once from the bottom, about 3 seconds, until the pink is even. It should look soft and slightly cloudy.
- Glass
- FluteNo flute? A small wine glass.
- Ice
- No ice
- Garnish
- A thin peach sliceOr: A raspberry dropped in the glass.
What you need to make a Virgin Bellini
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Bottles we'd use
- White peach puréeBoiron is the bartender's standard; a jar of good peach purée from a large supermarket works too.Find it on Amazon
- Alcohol-free sparkling wineChoose a dry one, because the peach already supplies the sweetness.Find it on Amazon
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The Virgin Bellini story
The Bellini is usually credited to Giuseppe Cipriani, who created it at Harry's Bar in Venice in the 1940s. The usual story is that he named it after the painter Giovanni Bellini, because the pink of the drink reminded him of a saint's toga in one of his paintings.
The alcohol-free version swaps the Prosecco for alcohol-free sparkling wine. Everything else stays the same: ripe white peach, one part purée to two parts fizz, and cold. If you cannot find good fresh peaches, tinned white peaches in juice make a better purée than a hard, under-ripe one.
Virgin Bellini: your questions answered
What is in a Virgin Bellini?
A Virgin Bellini is made with 50 ml white peach purée, 5 ml fresh lemon juice and 100 ml alcohol-free sparkling wine. Garnish: a thin peach slice.
Is this Virgin Bellini alcohol-free?
Yes. This Virgin Bellini is made without any alcoholic ingredients, though alcohol-free spirits and sparkling wines can still contain a trace of alcohol, so check the label if you need to avoid it completely.
What glass do you serve a Virgin Bellini in?
Serve a Virgin Bellini in a flute. No flute? A small wine glass.
