strawberry bellinis

Pop some prosecco to make delicious strawberry bellinis, a party perfect, seasonal sipper for your spring and summer celebrations!

Y’all, I’m counting down the days until spring has sprung.

I love winter, and not just because it’s Aquarius season (the best season in my opinion, because you guessed it, I’m an Aquarius!)

I also love winter because I like snuggling on the couch with the cats and a good book or movie, and indulging in cozy comforting foods like chili, homemade spaghetti sauce, Swedish meatballs, and butternut squash soup, to name a few. (Oh and we can’t forget cocktails! Two of my winter favorites are spiked hot apple cider and a cranberry bourbon smash).

But it feels like it has been raining for 84 years. Do you like my Titanic reference?

It’s cold, and it’s gray, and it’s wet. And I’m over it.

I’m ready for longer days and warmer temperatures. And lord knows I need more sunshine in my life.

When spring makes her debut, she also brings with her the kickoff to a very important season.

If you think I’m talking about patio drinking season, I like where you’re head’s at because patio drinking season is probably my favorite season of all and I consider it to be very important. 

Unfortunately, I’m not talking about patio drinking season (will have to save that topic for another day)! I’m talking about that period of time from about April through October that many of us observe and have fondly named wedding season.

Wedding season is something starts popping up on your springtime schedule (but also then extends into summer and likely picks back up again in the fall) when you hit your mid to late twenties and move into your early thirties and all of your friends start falling in love with their life partners and get married.

It’s full of soirees and showers, brunches and bachelorettes.

It ultimately culminates with a big celebration where your friend ties the knot (or says “I do” or commits to another person for the rest of their lives, however you’d like to phrase it) and you get all dressed up and show off your Patrick Swayze dance moves and maybe have one too many “small drinks.”

If you’re interested in my own personal experience with small drinks, please feel free to shoot me an email, it was a really fun wedding and I felt terrible the next day. PS: a small drink is a classy way of saying shots. Lots of tequila was involved.

Bellinis make the perfect bridal shower cocktail

I love wedding season.

I love the celebrating and the dancing and the drinking and also love in general.

So as a seasoned veteran (we were invited to 11 weddings between Fall 2016 and Fall 2017), I’m here to remind you that wedding season is a marathon and not a sprint, and that you need certain things in your arsenal to make it all the way through.

Among those things is a black dress (makes you immediately put together for a bachelorette night out).

A variety of Gatorade flavors (helps with side effects of small drinks the next morning).

And an easy, yet elevated, sparkling fruit beverage to serve at a bridal shower or bachelorette bash.

Enter the strawberry bellini.

When to serve fruit bellinis

Yes, yes. With just two ingredients and a lot of bubbles, a strawberry bellini is the perfect bridal shower brunch drink.

PS: If you are in fact planning a bridal shower brunch, these bellinis would be the perfect pairing to a bagels and lox brunch board. And you may as well make a build your own Bloody Mary bar to have competing cocktail stations (my sister threw me a bridal shower brunch and we had both bellinis and Bloody Marys!)

But, these strawberry bellinis should not only be saved for wedding season.

Planning a birthday party? Pop some prosecco and add some strawberry puree.

Hosting Easter brunch? Strawberry bellinis would be a fun and festive brunch beverage (and if you’re thinking Easer brunch, you’ll need some pimento cheese deviled eggs in your life too).

Mothers’ Day or Fathers’ Day? Say I love you with fruit bellinis.

Want to drink something fruity and a little fancy just because? Pour yourself a glass and head out to your balcony or backyard to soak up the spring weather. No judgment here.

Or, maybe you’re like me, there’s fewer nights of “I’ve Had the Time of My Life,”and your swapping the small drinks for super cute onesies. So as I navigate these new springtime seasons of baby showers, strawberry bellinis will totally be making an appearance, especially because they make great mocktails (just swap Sprite, Ginger Ale or soda water) for the mama to be!

And speaking of baby showers, I’ve joined with a few of my blogging buddies to virtually celebrate our friend, Madison, who should be welcoming baby number two really soon!

So since you’ll be adding strawberry bellinis to your arsenal, raspberry shortcake biscuits, lavender curd filled doughnuts, chocolate chip snack cake and baked lemon hand pies really all need to be in your shower/brunch/Sunday morning at home arsenal too.

What you’ll need to make strawberry bellinis

When it comes to tools you need to make this recipe, it’s a pretty short list:

• a sharp knife to slice fruit
• a small saucepan
• an immersion blender or regular blender (I prefer an immersion blender because you don’t have to transfer anything and get more dishes dirty!)
• champagne flutes or wine glasses for serving

The strawberry bellinis ingredients list is super short too!

• strawberries (or other fruits…we have made this recipe with blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and peaches too)
• sugar
• lemon juice
• water
• a bottle of bubbles (champagne, prosecco or other sparkling wine)

How to make a strawberry bellini

I like to think of this strawberry bellini recipe as really just two ingredients: fruit puree and sparkling wine. (Of course there are a few more ingredients included in the list because you need them to make the fruit puree!)

You’ll start by making the fruit puree or fruit syrup. Hull strawberries and slice in half. Place the berries, lemon juice, water and sugar in a small sauce pan and heat on medium heat.

Once the fruit mixture is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir the fruit every so often so it doesn’t burn or stick to the saucepan. 

Once the fruit has a thick, syrupy consistency, it’s done. Remove it from the heat and let it cool.

Up next, is making it a fruit puree. I prefer to use an immersion blender for this step so I don’t have to transfer the strawberry syrup into another blender, but you can totally use a regular blender if you don’t own an immersion blender. Pulse and puree until smooth!

Then its time to make and enjoy the bellinis!

Pour a small amount of fruit puree in the bottom of a champagne flute or wine glass. Top with champagne, prosecco or sparking wine. Sip!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a bellini and a mimosa?

While both are made with champagne or prosecco or sparkling wine, the biggest difference is in their origins and the use of juice versus puree.

The mimosa originated in France featuring equal proportions of champagne and orange juice (fun fact: it was named after yellow flowers that were popular in French gardens.)

The bellini originated in Italy and was named after a Venetian painter, and was made with a puree of white peaches  and prosecco. In Italy, they do make bellinis by replacing peaches with other fruits including strawberries, mandarins and pomegranate. 

What champagne is best with strawberries?

Champagne has long been a traditional accompaniment to strawberries. To match the berries sweetness, pick a “demi sec”Champagne which is a little more sweeter than the traditional “brut” champagne.

Prosecco also tends to be a tad sweeter than Champagne, making it an ideal pairing with strawberries. Pinot Gris or Gewürztraminer wines also are great pairing choices.

If you’re looking for another cocktail option to make with seasonal strawberries, try this Strawberry Mojito!

Can I make bellinis with other fruit?

Yes! Bellinis can be made with a few different fruits like peaches and berries so you can totally use different fruits to make bellinis or offer a variety from guests to choose from.

A traditional bellini (an Italian cocktail named after artist Giovanni Bellini) is made with peach puree, so peaches are always a great choice when they are in season. 

Beyond strawberries, we like to make fruit bellinis with a variety of other berries including blackberries, blueberries and raspberries.

I suggest that you make a variety of fruit purees and then set up a Bellini Bar to allow your guests to pick their favorite fruit flavors.

And don’t shy away from mixing flavors together…doesn’t a blackberry peach bellini sound delicious?

Can I make a mocktail version?

Yes! Substitute sparkling water or club soda for the champagne or processco to make non-alcoholic or mocktail fruit bellinis. Perfect for moms-to-be at baby showers or non drinkers!