Cheers! It’s peach season, which means it’s also bellini season. Bellinis are sparkling Italian cocktails made with two simple ingredients: Prosecco and peach purée. They’re fizzy and refreshing, with more body than your average cocktail. Bellinis are easy to make, and perfect when you’re hosting brunch or soaking up a lazy summer weekend. They’re a fun alternative to a mimosa, and feel a little more fancy. Maybe because they’re Italian.
Too often, bellinis are made with overly sweet peach nectar or peach liqueur. My bellinis are made with real peach purée, which doesn’t need any added sugar to taste like a treat. You can make bellinis with defrosted frozen peaches, too. You’ll find instructions for each option below. Are you ready to make bellinis this weekend?
Peach Notes & Tips
Authentic Italian bellinis are made with white peaches. Yet, I had a surplus of yellow peaches and they made beautiful golden bellinis. White peaches must not grow well near me, because they’re always hard and refuse to ripen. Which brings me to my next point: Great peaches make great bellinis, and lousy peaches make lousy bellinis. Those are the rules. If you can’t find great peaches, use frozen peaches.
Watch How to Make Fresh Bellini Cocktails
How to Peel Fresh Peaches
Peeled peaches make the best peach purée. I tried blending peaches with the skin on, and the purée required straining and didn’t taste quite as good. So, peel your peaches first! You can simply peel your peaches with a paring knife or vegetable peeler, but you’ll lose some peach juice and flesh along with it. Here’s a better way, and I promise it’s not as much trouble as it sounds:
How to Make Bellinis with Frozen Peaches
Good news: You can make bellini cocktails with frozen peaches. You’ll need to use good frozen peaches, not old freezer-burned peaches, lest your cocktails taste like freezer burn. The only other trick is to let your frozen peaches completely defrost before blending, or they won’t blend. You can defrost them at room temperature in three-and-a-half to four hours, or throw them into the refrigerator overnight. One upside to using defrosted frozen peaches is that your peach purée will be chilled and ready to serve immediately after blending.
Please let me know how your bellinis turn out in the comments! I hope you like them as much as I do. Looking for more fizzy summertime cocktails? Here are a few favorites:
Classic Mimosas and Watermelon Mimosas Aperol Spritz French 75 Moscow Mule
Leftover peach purée: This recipe yields 2 cups purée, and it will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days. If you have leftovers, you might enjoy it mixed with a splash of club soda and served over ice. Or, drizzle it over a scoop of vanilla ice cream or Greek yogurt. Frozen peaches variation: Defrost 1 ½ pounds sliced peaches, either at room temperature (it will take 3 to 4 hours) or in the refrigerator overnight. Blend the defrosted peaches until completely smooth in a blender or food processor. Then, you’re ready to go!
