Strawberry and Peach Bellinis

My friend Kelsey is getting married in just under two weeks, and Amy decided to host a virtual bridal shower for her! Kelsey is such a sweetheart, and I’m so excited for her to begin this new part of her life. I wanted to make something extra celebratory, but I had a hard time deciding what exactly that would be. I knew I wanted something fun and feminine and finally settled on bellinis. After all, what’s a bridal shower without something fun to drink? I love that these are bright and festive, and it doesn’t hurt that they taste fantastic, too.

Authentic bellinis are made with white peaches and Prosecco, but many people associate the name with any drink made up of fruit purée and sparkling wine. I decided to make both strawberry and peach bellinis for this virtual shower, but you can use almost any fruit you want. I think mangoes and blackberries would also make wonderful bases for the drink. Bellinis are perfect for parties because they’re simple, gorgeous and delicious. You can even make the fruit purée the day before, making these one of the easiest party drinks ever. Flavor-wise, I preferred the strawberry to the peach, which came as no surprise since I would pick strawberries over peaches any day. However, this sentiment might not have been true had I been able to find white peaches. Since they aren’t in season here, I knew I would be unable to find fresh, but I was hoping I would be able to find frozen. No such luck, though. If you can find white peaches, use them. They’re sweeter (and more flavorful, in my opinion) than regular peaches. I still really enjoyed both flavors, and I loved the way the slightly sweetened fruit mixed in with the Prosecco to make a fun, tasty and refreshing drink. If you want to set up a bellini bar, make the purées ahead of time and place them in small pitchers. Place on a table or bar with different types of sparkling wine and let guests create their own. If you need a nonalcoholic version, sparkling water or sparkling apple cider can be used, too.

Sadly, we couldn’t have this party in person. However, Kelsey and Amy have both posted a full roundup of our fun event, and I really hope you’ll check out their blogs to see the full shower menu.