I Do! I Do!
Hah! Just returned from Hastings-on-the-Hudson where my brother, Jim, got married this past weekend. He and his bride, Mindy, pulled off the most beautiful wedding in the midst of perfectly planned herb garden, beyond which a grassy meadow hosted some Canadian geese, which squawked their approval during the ceremony. It was just lovely as we looked at the Palisades cliffs rising above the Hudson River and enjoyed the various flowers blooming all around us. Family, friends, and so much fun.
Singing and music and roasting and storytelling… plus the most elegantly prepared and presented food treats. Even if not for a special event, I strongly recommend dining at Harvest on Hudson if you are ever in the Westchester County area of New York. It definitely gets a double WOW!
Among the ooh’s and ahh’s were plenty of accolades for Mindy’s selection to have Bellinis served, in addition to champagne and wine. They are definitely among my favorite beverages, and can be prepared in a wide variety of ways, both with and without alcohol.
In fact, among the more than five dozen sparkling beverage recipes in our Champagne! Facts, Fizz, Food and Fun book, you will find a number of Bellini recipes, including a reflection back to the Bellini’s true origins at Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy.
In 2009, my husband and I got to sit at Harry’s Bar… at long last… and savor that original Bellini delicacy. Oh, boy!
Now, we realize that most of us do not have access to freshly pureed white peaches all year, not to mention the rosy “secret ingredient” that Harry’s Bar uses to even out the sweetness, without adding a bit of sugar. (Yes, we reveal the secret in the book.) Plus we do now have easy access to Prosecco, the Italian sparkling white wine that goes into a Bellini, though you can certainly substitute Champagne.
Meanwhile, let us share with you one of the “Amazing Bubbly Concoctions” Bellini recipes. This is one of our favorites, and is shared with complements from the chef.
Cafe Martin Bellini
Café Martin Bellini
For each serving:
3 fresh or frozen raspberries
½ shot peach schnapps
Chilled peach nectar
Chilled prosecco (or champagne)
Place raspberries in bottom of champagne flute, followed by peach liquor. Fill to almost half with peach nectar; top with champagne and serve.
KISS Tip: Café Martin also makes a fabulous frozen Bellini. You can duplicate this at home by replacing the peach nectar with peach sorbet. Use a bit of raspberry sorbet instead of actual raspberries. You will be able to actually duplicate the beautiful rosy hues in a genuine Harry’s Bar Bellini.
Another fun twist is making a Blood Orange Bellini. We include this recipe in the “Amazing Bubbly Concoctions” section of the book Champagne! Facts, Fizz, Food & Fun. You can also use the above recipe and simply substitute a couple spoonfuls of Blood Orange Sorbet for the peach nectar. Oh My Goodness!!!! It is soooo good!
Now, I must offer one warning. Once you start making Bellini’s and it can make it very, very difficult to go back to a Mimosa!
You can find Champagne! Facts, Fizz, Food & Fun along with other books and eBooks from Quiet Thunder Publishing at sites such as Amazon.com. Enjoy… with love and laughter!
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You have a youtube channel?
Sorry! I am not on You Tube yet… probably will when time allows!
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Oz & Amen, sister! Bellinis anywhere are a beautiful thing. I too had the pleasure (if you can call it that) of drinking one in Harry’s Bar, and while it was delicious, it was stupid expensive. Interestingly, the room was FULL of sucker tourists like me, each of us drinking half of our daily food budget in bellinis. I’ve no doubt that your version is infinitely better, and to drink one in your company would be worth any price.
You are so right about the price of Harry’s Bar Bellinis. Crazy high! You can make a whole pitcher of your own… orrrrr have just ONE in Venice. Ahhhh, but it’s Venice! 🙂
I would love to try the peach bellini….who am I kidding… I would like to try them ALL. I haven’t actually tasted this before, but I heard about this little business a couple years ago when my MIL told me the story of the ladies starting up the business… I like that it was “close to home” and I was so interested back then and had totally forgotten about this…. thanks for the reminder!
i would LOVE to try the Peach Bellini! It sounds delislh! My favorite wine is a Moscato D’Asti and it is sparkling… it would go great with this mix! I have tried something similar to this at the Holiday Market in Greensboro, NC; I just don’t know if it was this brand. I tried a white wine slushy and it was sooo good! 🙂
I have learned newer and more effective things by means of your blog site.
I could do with one of these right now. I might actually use this for a house warming this long weekend. Yayayay!!
Perfect! Hope your house warming was bubbling over with success!
Thought I would comment and say neat theme. Did you code it on your own? It looks really good!
Glad you like it. The code is from WordPress, but it allows lots of flexibility and creativity for me to personalize the look and themes as often as I like. Thanks!
I have tried every flavor! These are great for Girls night in or I host craft nights and we LOVE to make these. A whole party pack will come in handy for my next craft night ;)!
Thought I would comment and say neat theme, did you code it on your own? It looks really good!
Thanks! Code is VERY new to me, but I do write everything. I am learning… will try to keep it looking good! Thanks again.
Slam dukinn like Shaquille O’Neal, if he wrote informative articles.