The Bellini is the ultimate summer aperitif and the perfect cocktail to serve at brunch. It is made with puréed fresh white peaches and a bit of raspberry to give the drink a pink glow.

The Bellini was created in 1943 by Guiseppe Cipriani at the legendary Harry’s Bar in Venice—a favorite hangout for expats including Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, and Orson Welles. The cocktail owes its name to Cipriani’s fascination with Giovanni Bellini, a 15th-century Venetian artist.

The Bellini Cocktail
Yields about 6 cocktails

Ingredients
2/3 cup white peach purée
1 bottle chilled Prosecco or dry sparkling wine

Directions
Make the peach purée
Peel fresh white (or yellow if white is not available) peaches and cut them up in pieces. Blend in a food processor. Add raspberries, two or three at a time, and pulse until you get a nice blush color.

Prepare the cocktail
Spoon about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the peach purée into the bottom of each champagne flute. Gently top with the chilled Prosecco. You want to leave the peach purée undisturbed at the bottom of the glass at this stage.

Just prior serving, stir to mix the peach purée and Prosecco well.