Between my sophmore and junior year of college I spent half of my summer traveling through Europe or, as some call it, “studying” abroad. In one small town in Northern Italy we spent the evening drinking Bellinis at an outdoor gazebo bar. Maybe it was the fact that I was in Italy, or that I rarely have sparkling wine, or that I had no clue what I was ordering (language barrier), but those Bellinis stick out in my mind as the best drink I’ve had yet. (Sorry margaritas and wine – you do hold a very special place in my heart).
Even though I have no clue what those Bellinis so delicious, I attempted to recreate my favorite drink for an H&M party. Since it was a long shot I naturally pretended I knew exactly what I was doing (and crossed my fingers). So here is to the H&M, an original take on an Italian Bellini.
The H&M
Yield: A good time for 4-8 people
7 shots of vodka (we used Belvedere)
1 can of sliced peaches, in lite syrup
1/2 cup of frozen sliced peaches
1 cup of fresh raspberries
2 bottles of dry sparkling wine or champagne*
*Us being young and broke splurged on the vodka and bought whatever was on sale and sparkly (but my guess is that this would taste best with a $10+ Prosecco and fresh peaches, which one can not find in a grocery store in December…trust me I tried 3 of them) .
1. Slice peaches thinly, approximately 1/4 inch thick.
2. Combine peaches, syrup from canned peaches, and vodka in a pitcher. Refrigerate for 48 hours.
3. Add raspberries to pitcher. Refrigerate 1 additional hour.
4. Pour 1/2 bottle of prosecco into pitcher and stir with spoon. 
5. Combine 1/4 cup of fruit mixture with 1/4 cup of sparkling wine. (Best served in wine glass)
Maybe I will be a bartender on a little tropical island one day…but until then I will keep blending random concoctions and hoping they taste ok!
Happy 2012 at Midnight!
H&M
