Written by Scott Noriega
Pianist, Composer, Writer and Cocktail Storyteller
(Cocktail lovers, you MUST follow him on Instagram @telling_cocktails)
In the summer, there is hardly a more refreshing drink than a sparkling glass of Prosecco. But what happens when one adds just a bit of flavoring to the drink, using the sweetest in-season fruits, some lemon juice for a bit of acidity, and just a touch of sweetener to balance the whole? One gets four excellent Prosecco cocktails, easy to create at home for oneself, for a small party, or even for a larger gathering.
In addition to being fruit-infused, this batch of Prosecco cocktails have another thing in common: they are all named after famous Italian artists and composers. You may have heard of the Bellini, but what about the Rossini? Puccini? Donizetti? Yep, they are all names you should get to know in more ways than one.
Below you will find recipes, a brief history of each cocktail and the composer they are associated with AND a bonus link to a piece of music by the cocktail inspirers.
The Bellini
(White Peaches and Prosecco)
The Bellini was first poured in 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani at Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. Rumor has it that there were so many ripe white peaches lying around the bar that Cipriani wanted to feature them in some way in a cocktail. So, he decided to mash them up and add the puree to a glass of Prosecco. Everyone who tried it loved it. And it quickly spread beyond the bounds of the bar and the city. But what could Cipriani call his new drink? Looking at the pale, almost pastel-colored peach cocktail he immediately thought of the paintings of the Venetian Renaissance artist, Giovanni Bellini (c.1430-1516), whose paintings often featured a warm color palette. If you look closely at many of the garments in certain paintings, you may notice the color of the Bellini cocktail—the San Zaccaria Altarpiece or St. Francis in Ecstasy—or also in the color of the sky in his painting, Christ Blessing.
Somewhere along the way the drink became associated with the later nineteenth-century composer of operas, Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835), possibly because many of the Prosecco cocktails that followed it, such as the Rossini and the Puccini, were named after Italian musical composers. Even if the connection is historically inaccurate, the pairing of Bellini’s music, filled with long enchanting melodies typical of bel canto (beautiful singing) opera, simple accompaniments, and a wealth of orchestral colors perfectly match both the delicate bubbliness and rich mouthfeel of the cocktail. What do I listen to when sipping a Bellini? Perhaps the ‘other’ Bellini’s most famous aria, Casta Diva from the opera Norma, in which the eponymous character sings a plea to the goddess of the moon for peace in a time of war. Sung by the incomparable Spanish soprano Monserrat Caballé, the aria is filled with delicate flutters and powerful swells. Close your eyes, open your ears, sip on your cocktail, and revel in the beauty of everything all at once!
The Rossini
(Strawberries and Prosecco)
The Rossini is perhaps the most famous variation of the Bellini cocktail. Like its predecessor, it is said to have first been poured at Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. But if peaches are in season in Italy from around May to September—meaning that the ideal time to visit Venice and drink a Bellini is almost half a year in length!—strawberries have a much shorter optimal season for eating and for making the puree for this spectacular cocktail. When is strawberry season in Italy, you ask? May and June, meaning that the perfect time to have this cocktail is in the Spring.
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868), the composer after whom this cocktail was named, was one of the great Italian opera composers of the nineteenth century. His music can at times be serious, other times lighthearted, but always a joy to listen to. Though he wrote many beautiful vocal works, along with hundreds of piano pieces after his retirement from opera composition, one of the works that I always think of when I hear his name is the lovely overture to the opera La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie). Legend has it that Rossini finished writing this overture just the day before the premiere. The conductor who was to lead the performance had Rossini sealed in a room in La Scala (the most famous opera house in Milan, Italy) under lock and key. He was told to toss each page out the window as he completed it, so that the copyist who was waiting for the music below, could catch it and engrave it into the score of each individual orchestral instrument. When sipping this cocktail—slightly tart, slightly sweet, beautifully bright, with a luscious mouthfeel—one can just imagine the composer tossing out the pages as he quickly finished them. Can one feel the nervous energy in the music? Absolutely! Just listen to those opening snare drums that set the scene and the gorgeous melodies that follow!
The Puccini
(Mandarins and Prosecco)
The Puccini is also thought to have originated at Harry’s Bar in Venice. What is the difference between a Mimosa and a Puccini— two bright orange-hued drinks featuring sparkling wine? The answer lies in the type of citrus fruit used and the style of sparkling wine that is called for: whereas the Mimosa uses orange juice along with Champagne, the Puccini calls for Mandarins and Prosecco. Oranges tend to be larger, more vitamin packed, but also tarter in flavor than mandarins, which are usually smaller in size, have a thinner peel than oranges, and are, in general, sweeter. The difference between Champagne and Prosecco? I may leave that one to the experts.
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) initially struggled to maintain a foothold in the repertoire, but once he hit his stride in the early 1890s, he penned one masterpiece after another: Manon Leschaut (1893), La Bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), Madama Butterfly (1903), all the way to his final, unfinished opera, Turandot (1924). But one of the greatest evenings at the opera house is Puccini’s trilogy of operas, Il Trittico (1918), comprised of three separate one-act operas all lasting about an hour in length: the sinister melodrama, Il Tabarro (The Cloak), followed by the all-female sentimental tragedy, Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica), and finally, the comedy Gianni Schicchi. In the aria, “O mio babbino caro” (“Oh, my dear Papa”) from the last of these, Lauretta begs her father to let her marry her true love, Rinuccio. The aria is like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise frenzied score meant to end one’s night in a lighthearted way. If you want to listen to just a small bit while sipping on your cocktail, start with “Quale aspetto sgomento e desolato!” (“What a display of dismay and sorrow!”) that first introduces the character of Gianni Schicchi, the supposed bumpkin who outsmarts everyone and gets the night’s last laugh!
The Donizetti
(Mandarins and Prosecco)
The origin story of the Donizetti cocktail is the only one I can guarantee. Why is that? Because it was first poured in my own kitchen about a week ago! When the idea of this article was first brought to me, I wanted to include at least four composers and accompanying cocktails. But which composer and which ingredients to make four? With a little research I found a dessert from Bergamo called the Donizetti Cake, named after the nineteenth-century composer who was born in that city. Legend has it that Rossini asked his personal chef to make the dessert for Donizetti, who was suffering from a broken heart. The real story is that the cake was first made and patented in 1948—well after Donizetti’s death—by the baker Alessandro Balzer to honor the composer on the centenary of his death. The cake features candied apricots and pineapple pieces, maraschino liqueur, and a hint of vanilla. I decided to feature the two fruits and garnish the cocktail not with an apricot slice, but with maraschino cherries to pay homage to the liqueur found in the cake. That said, if one finds oneself in Bergamo on April 8th why not stop by the Balzer pastry shop, not far from the Donizetti Theatre, and celebrate National Donizetti Cake Day by enjoying a slice?
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) was a prolific Italian composer of opera, completing around 65 works in the genre. His three most famous operas still in regular rotation are L’elisir d’amore (1832), Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), and Don Pasquale (1843). The first work that came into my head after sipping on the cocktail was the tragic yet beguiling sextet “Chi mi frena in tal momento” (“Who holds me back in this moment”) from Lucia di Lammermoor in which Donizetti writes music of almost folk-like simplicity to accompany a moment of extreme emotions: Edgardo sings of the love he still has for Lucia; Enrico, that he has betrayed his kin; Lucia asks why death has forsaken her; Raimundo and Arturo, of the awful moment and their pity for Lucia; and Alisa and the chorus of Lucia who “like a withered rose [...] hangs between life and death.” How can such complicated emotions sound so beautiful? I can’t say. But how can such diverse flavors also taste so good together? Maybe that’s just the magic of Donizetti!
Prosecco Cocktail Recipes
These four easy cocktails require just a bit of preparation work. The recipes below will give enough puree for about 6-8 cocktails, depending on how much you like to put in your drink. The easiest way to prepare the puree is with a high-speed blender or, in simpler times and places, a muddler and a bit of arm work, along with a few lemons, and your sweetener of choice—agave, simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water), or some type of granular or powdered sugar. I like agave as it has a richness to it, it can be poured straight from the bottle, adds a bit of fruitiness to the cocktail, and is lower on the Glycemic Index than sugar.
For each puree, I place all of the following the ingredients into the blender and pulse until smooth and almost creamy in texture:
The amount of sugar or agave can be adjusted according to your own tastes, but a little added sugar helps bring out the flavors in the puree, especially if the fruit is not as ripe as it could be. One can also add a pinch of salt to help do the same—just be careful not to add too much. Then blend until smooth and creamy. You can either strain the pulp from the juice if you like, using a fine mesh strainer, or you can relish in the little bits and pieces of fresh fruit and pulp the way I do. Both options work well.
What to do with the leftover puree if there is any? Do what I do. Freeze it in ice cube molds for an easy drink whenever one is in the mood for a refreshing Prosecco cocktail—whether in the heat of the summer or the cold of the winter.
To make each cocktail below:
Add a bit of Prosecco to the glass first, about one third of the way up. This goes against tradition, but I find that the cocktail foams less when one adds the puree to the Prosecco and not the other way around.
Then add the same amount of puree. The effect will remind one of a lava lamp. But worry not! Just mix the two ingredients carefully with a spoon or better a bar spoon, as it is long and skinny, and then…
Top off the drink with another third of the glass filled with Prosecco. But be careful! The foaming can still be quick and intense! I’ll not cry over spilled milk, but spilled Prosecco? That’s an entirely different story!
Lastly, a Prosecco is the sparkling wine of choice for these cocktails. And I have it on good authority (La Dolce Vigna) that a slightly sweeter Prosecco—an Extra Dry vs. a Brut—will work well here as it’s slightly higher sugar content will help balance out the tartness of the cocktails and bring out the flavors of the fruit. It was the original spirit used and works so well in balancing out the sweet and tart notes of these varied cocktails. Leslie of La Dolce Vigna was so helpful in helping me choose this very excellent Prosecco from the Veneto region, Sorelle Bronco: Extra Dry. It worked wonders in these drinks and was delicious all on its own. But if you cannot find a Prosecco, use what you have: a Cava, a Champagne, or a Sekt.
Happy drinking and listening!
Cin Cin e Salute!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scott Noriega is a pianist, piano teacher, composer, and freelance writer who currently resides in Queens, New York. He has performed in concerts in New York and California, and helped produce a chamber festival based in the Bay Area. In addition to music, his interests include cooking, baking, wordsmithing, being dazzled by art, reading on history, making mostly failed attempts at learning languages, and traveling. He is always looking for fun new avenues of expression and after having completed his third degree—a PhD in musicology—he has found a new, unsurprising, passion. Yes? Cocktails and the stories that surround them. You can currently follow him on Instagram @telling_cocktails.