Bellini cocktail | How to Make | Recipe

When is a Bellini not a Bellini?

When it is a Moxie’s Bellini! At my new bartending gig one of the signature drinks is the Bellini. It is a very popular drink but is more of a slushy than a classic Bellini. It seems that at some point in time, someone (Milestone restaurant chain) came up with the idea to ride on the coattails of Giuseppe Cipriani original classic Bellini, made from white peach puree and Italian sparkling wine (prosecco). Moxies uses the name to describe their flavourful international peach slushy, but it barely resembles the classic recipe. Now, this drink is very popular and they are sold frequently and people do like them, so I can’t argue with that, but if you are looking for a true classic Bellini, Moxies won’t have it. But we will try to make any drink to your specifications if you ask of course.

The Moxies Bellini, according to the tabletop drink list, is a mixture of rum, peach schnapps, sparkling wine, club soda and sprite. The drink is topped off with a splash of sangria. The drink looks good, and by all accounts, it tastes good, but it is not a classic Bellini.

This is not the first case of a company modifying a drink and then using the name. It makes marketing sense, but a true chef would never call mayonnaise dyed yellow a hollandaise, nor would they call a cut of sirloin a filet mignon. But, the world of cocktails is much different. To build a brand name takes a lot of effort, and money, but taking a name that has been around for over 50 years is easy. You have an instant brand, at no cost. I don’t necessarily agree with this, but it is rampant throughout the bar world. There is no practical way to fix this issue, and really the majority of people buying the drinks don’t care. A few do, and I’m waiting for the day when I serve the international peach slushy to someone who is stoked about getting a real Bellini.

The issue for me is that if I order a Bellini, I expect the original formulation. If I order a medium rare filet mignon, I don’t want a well-done sirloin strip.

Moxies Bellini Recipe

15 oz Lamb’s White Rum
26 oz Peach Schnapps
26 oz Sparkling Wine (the cheap stuff)
10 Litres Sprite
10 Lires Soda Water
1 454g Package of Peach Koolaid

Combine in vat, stir ’til koolaid is dissolved and load into slush machine. Without a slushy machine, you really can’t duplicate this recipe.
* This is also similar to the Milestones Bellini recipe.

Pour into a glass and add some Boon’s Sangria.

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