White Peach Bellini with Fresh Peach Purée

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The original Venetian aperitivo: nothing but ripe white peaches crushed into a silky purée, chilled hard, and lengthened with cold Prosecco. No peach schnapps, no bottled nectar, no orange juice — just two ingredients handled carefully, plus an optional whisper of raspberry for that famous sunset-pink blush. The whole trick is temperature and ratio: ice-cold purée in the bottom of the glass, wine poured slowly on top so the mousse doesn't blow out of the flute.

Ingredients

• 4 very ripe white peaches (about 1 1/2 lb)
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 6 fresh raspberries, for color (optional)

• 1 bottle (750 ml) Prosecco, brut or extra dry, very cold
• ice, for chilling the glasses

Instructions

1. Make a quick syrup: combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir just until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Do not let it boil down. Pour into a small bowl and refrigerate until cold.
2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water alongside. Cut a shallow X in the bottom of each peach and boil them 30 to 45 seconds, until the skins loosen. Transfer immediately to the ice water for 1 minute, then slip off the skins with your fingers.
3. Halve the peaches, discard the pits, and cut the flesh into rough chunks. Drop them into a blender with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the cold syrup.
4. Blend on high for a full 45 to 60 seconds, until completely smooth and slightly lightened in color. Taste: if your peaches are underripe, add the remaining syrup 1 teaspoon at a time. The purée should taste like intense peach, not like candy.
5. Press the purée through a fine-mesh sieve with a flexible spatula, scraping until only dry pulp remains. You want about 1 1/2 cups of silky purée with no fibers — this is what keeps the finished drink from turning grainy.
6. For the classic pink blush, mash the raspberries through the same sieve and stir 1 teaspoon of the seedless raspberry purée into the peach purée. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, until thoroughly cold (below 40°F). Chill six flutes or small tumblers in the freezer for 15 minutes.
7. Stir the cold purée to recombine, then spoon 2 oz (1/4 cup) into the bottom of each chilled glass.
8. Tilt each glass and pour in about 2 oz of ice-cold Prosecco in a thin stream down the inside of the glass; let the foam settle for 10 seconds, then top with another 2 oz. Give one slow half-turn with a bar spoon or thin knife to marry the layers without knocking out the bubbles.
9. Serve immediately, while the glass is still frosted. Bellinis do not wait.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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