Brunch Bellinis Recipe

Prepare fruit

If using peaches, blanch them in boiling water for 30–60 seconds, then plunge into ice water; peel, pit, and roughly chop. Hull strawberries and rinse berries. Measure 2 cups of chopped or whole fruit for each flavor you plan to make.

Blend purees

Working with one fruit at a time, place 2 cups of prepared fruit in a blender or food processor. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice if the fruit is not very sweet or to brighten flavor. Puree until smooth, about 30–45 seconds.

Strain (optional)

For an extra-silky Bellini, strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard seeds/skins. Yield should be ~1 3/4 to 2 cups of smooth puree per batch.

Chill puree

Cover the bowls of puree and chill in the refrigerator until cold, at least 30 minutes. Purees can be made up to 24 hours ahead.

Chill a 2–2.5 liter pitcher in the refrigerator for 15–30 minutes. Keep the Prosecco chilled in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.

Add 1–1.25 cups of the chosen fruit puree to the chilled pitcher for a light fruit-to-wine ratio (adjust to taste). For a stronger fruit flavor, use up to 1.5 cups of puree per 750 ml Prosecco equivalent (for 1.5 liters use 2–2.25 cups). Stir the puree lightly to loosen it in the pitcher.

Slowly pour the chilled Prosecco into the pitcher over the back of a spoon or gently down the side to preserve bubbles, stirring very gently once or twice to combine. Do not vigorously stir to avoid flattening the Prosecco.

Taste and adjust: if the mixture is too sweet, add 1–2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice. If too tart, stir in up to 1 tablespoon sugar dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water, then chill briefly. Keep the pitcher cold by placing it in a shallow bowl of ice if desired.

If offering multiple fruit options, prepare separate small pitchers or carafes with different purees (use 3/4 to 1 cup puree per 375 ml bottle or scale proportionally) and label so guests can choose peach, strawberry, blackberry, or raspberry.

If desired, rim glasses with a little lemon juice and dip in sugar. Fill chilled Champagne flutes or stemmed glasses about two-thirds full and top with a small spoonful (about 1–2 tbsp) of fruit puree if you want a more traditional Bellini style where the puree floats and can be swirled in each glass.

Garnish each glass with a thin peach slice or a couple of berries and a mint sprig. Serve immediately while sparkling.

Leftover: keep any unused puree covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Once mixed with Prosecco, consume within a few hours as carbonation will fade.