Fruity Strawberry Bellini
Ruby red with sweet strawberries and sparkling wine, this Strawberry Bellini is a fresh, bright cocktail perfect for Valentine’s, Mother’s Day or anytime.
This year I wanted to try something new. I was looking for a Valentine’s Day cocktail that’s light and fresh but still pretty and romantic.
You see, for years, I’ve made my White Chocolate Strawberry Valentine Martini. And as much as I love that…, well, variety is the spice of life!
So today I decided to go with a Bellini, a champagne and fruit based cocktail that’s similar to the always popular mimosa. Bellinis can be made with many different fruits and work well for so many occasions! And a Strawberry Bellini seemed to be the perfect Valentine’s Day cocktail!
What is a Bellini?
Per Wikipedia, the Bellini was first created around 1940 by a Venetian bartender who thought the drink’s “unique pink color reminded him of a painting by 15th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini”. Originally made as a Peach Bellini, they are now made with all kinds of different fruits.
How is a Bellini different from a Mimosa? I haven’t found an official answer to this that I like. While both drinks are a combo of fruit and sparkling wine, when I compare recipes, it seems that mimosas (like this Blood Orange Mimosa) are made with fruit juice and Bellinis are made with fruit puree.
Either way—yum!
Why You’ll Love This!
Flavorful. This version has more strawberries than some giving it a brighter flavor and deeper color.
Easy. Just puree some berries, strain and top with sparkling wine. Easy-peasy!
Festive. The vibrant red color makes this perfect for Valentine’s Day or Christmas. Though I’d drink it anytime!
Versatile. Make this for two with no leftovers! (Or you can also make it for more.)
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Strawberries. This provides the fruity strawberry flavor. You can use fresh or frozen.
- Sugar. This sweetens the drink and counters any hint of bitterness in the sparkling wine. But you can omit if you prefer.
- Sparkling wine. You can use whatever type of sparkling wine you prefer, from Champagne to Processo. White or pink are both acceptable. See size options under Tips below.
Special Tools
- You’ll need a blender or food processor to puree the berries, and a strainer to strain them.
Step by Step Overview
Reserve 2 strawberries to use as a garnish. Puree the remaining strawberries and sugar (if using) until smooth.
Strain through a strainer or cheesecloth. If you use a strainer, you’ll probably have some seeds slip through (which didn’t bother me). But if you’d like the clearest drink, go for cheesecloth.
Place about 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of puree in each serving glass (or simply divide evenly). Top each glass with half of the sparkling wine mini split (about 3 ounces each).
Garnish each glass with a reserved berry.
How to Serve
I’m not usually a glass snob when it comes to serving drinks. But when it comes to special occasions like Valentine’s Day, I sometimes get a little fussier. That’s because it’s just a little more romantic to serve this in a champagne style glass.
And happily I had a couple different styles to choose from–a saucer shaped coupe glass or the more common tall champagne flute. I can’t tell which I like better–what do you prefer?
Now if budget has you down, I suggest checking vintage stores. Both of these glasses were bought used for just $1-2 each! For the coupe glasses, I looked for months until I finally found what I was looking for! But totally worth the effort!
And to prove they look great for other occasions, here is a Strawberry Bellini dressed up for Christmas (a sprig of rosemary might look nice too). And don’t forget that Mother’s Day and Easter brunch will be here before you know it!
Variations
If you’d like to make an alcohol-free version, you can mix the strawberry puree with fizzy water or white soda (consider omitting the sugar if using a sweetened mixer).
And for some more delicious festive cocktails, consider the also rosy Cosmopolitan, the super easy Sorbet and Champage Cocktail, or a nice Ruby Prosecco cockail.
Tips & FAQs
You may be able to buy your champagne or sparkling wine in a variety of sizes, which can work better for lighter drinkers. They are very commonly available in 187 ml sizes which is ¼ of a standard 750 ml bottle. One of those worked perfect for making two Strawberry Bellinis.
Can I stretch this to serve more people without extra strawberries? This recipe has a fairly high ratio of strawberry to champagne. I did this because I wanted both a stronger strawberry flavor as well as a robust red color—and I was very happy with the results.
But if you prefer more champagne flavor, or simply need to stretch scarce berries, you can use this quantity of strawberries to make up to 6 servings. In that case, you’d want to use a 750 ml (full size) bottle of champagne and may need to forgo the strawberry garnish. But (this is your only warning), the strawberry flavor will be less intense.
Enjoy!
Strawberry Bellini
Ingredients
- 1 pint strawberries will make a generous ½ cup of pureed and strained berries
- ½ Tablespoon sugar optional
- 187 ml sparkling wine about 6 ounces, aka a mini split
Instructions
- Reserve 2 strawberries to use as a garnish.
- Puree the remaining strawberries and sugar (if using) until no chunks remain.
- Strain through a strainer or cheesecloth. If you use a strainer, you’ll probably have some seeds slip through which didn’t bother me. But if you’d like the clearest drink, go for cheesecloth.
- Place about 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of puree in each serving glass (or simply divide evenly). Top each glass with half of the sparkling wine mini split (about 3 ounces each).
- Garnish each glass with a reserved berry.
Seriously, I should book a flight to you right now! This sounds fantastic.
Thanks! I love shooting cocktails!
This Strawberry Bellini sounds like the perfect Valentine’s Day cocktail—light, fresh, and oh-so-pretty! I love how you’ve made it so easy to whip up but still feel fancy and romantic. Definitely trying this later
Thanks so much Raymund!