The food: Bellini Cocktail

Where to find it: Harry’s Bar, Venice, Italy

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As you can tell from my previous post, I’m in a Venetian mood. Also, tonight I’m going out to celebrate a friend’s birthday, so let’s bring on the libations this Food Friday.

This is the famous Bellini made famous by Harry’s Bar in Venice. Giuseppe Cipriani named his white peach cocktail the “Bellini” after Giovanni Bellini, the fifteenth century Venetian painter.

If this drink were to be a woman, it would be high maintenance all the way. She knows she’s hot shit, and she only deserves the best. Even though the cocktail is made with Prosecco instead of Champagne, it is still recognized as the best Champagne cocktail in the world. All of the ingredients (including the glasses, the Prosecco and the white peach puree) should be as cold as possible. The drink should be one part white peach puree to three parts Prosecco. You must use fresh frozen white peach puree when you can, but when you create your own puree, never use a food processor. It will aerate the fruit. Big no no. And you must never ever use yellow peaches to make a Bellini. Have you ever tasted a Bellini that tasted just plain wrong? The barman probably effed up and threw in peach schnapps or some kind of crap like that.

Only in Venice can you get the real deal.