Bellini (or not)

The other night, I went to SF's Mecca Restaurant for drinks with a few friends. Upon arrival, a martini glass filled with their famed frozen bellini was thrust into my hand. Typically, I would be quite grateful for a free drink in my hand, but with the case of a bellini, I have to admit, I'm a bit of a traditionalist and snob. I absolutely love them, but only in their purest state (meaning a sparkling Italian wine and peach puree). Unfortunately, few bars and restaurants offer them as I suppose the peach puree can be difficult to make or get.

On my first Mecca bellini experience, I was shocked when the waiter brought me a blender drink as opposed to one of my favorite refreshing beverages and immediately sent it back in a huff (how dare they mess with perfection?). But last weekend, I thought it would be a bit rude to send back a drink someone else bought me, so I proceeded to drink it down. And contrary to my expectation, I found myself actually enjoying the chilled beverage. In fact, not only did I not send it back, I actually had a second one!

That's not to say that if I was given the choice I wouldn't choose the sparkling wine version 99% of the time, but perhaps on one of those hot days by the pool, the Mecca version might really hit the spot (and if you do enjoy blender drinks, this one is really yummy).

Here's how to make a traditional bellini:

5 oz sparkling wine (preferrably an dry Italian one, such as a Prosecco)
1 oz peach puree (Drink Boy provides some good instructions on making some or where to buy it online)