New Year’s Eve cocktail: prepare the fruit purée ahead of time for this Black Cherry Bellini so you can serve drinks quickly and with minimal fuss.
The holidays are almost over and many of us start the new year promising healthier habits: more exercise, less snacking and earlier bedtimes. I’m trying to get back to regular workouts, cut out evening snacks during the week, get an early start on work before the kids wake, and spend more quality time with my family.
Until then, I’ll be enjoying a few more treats — especially chocolate and cocktails.
If you’re looking for more cocktail inspiration, try one of these crowd-pleasing recipes that pair well with celebrations and relaxed evenings:
- Gin and Cucumber Basil Smash
- Dark & Stormy
- Christmas Punch
- Pineapple Ginger Mojitos with Spiced Rum
- Rum and Peach Cocktail with Chilli Syrup
Say when…
The Black Cherry Bellini Recipe:
Black Cherry Bellini
Nicky Corbishley
10 mins
20 mins
30 mins
6 glasses
Drinks
Italian
Ingredients
- 390 g (13.75 oz) jar of cherries in kirsch*
- 500 ml (2 cups + 2 tbsp) cherry juice
- 1 bottle prosecco or champagne well chilled
To decorate glasses:
- 1 lemon
- 4 tbsp caster or superfine sugar
- 1/2 tsp edible gold glitter or luster powder
To serve:
- black cherries fresh or from a jar
Instructions
-
Pour the liquid from the jar of cherries in kirsch (just the syrup) together with the cherry juice into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by about one-third — roughly 20 minutes.
-
Allow the reduction to cool, then return the cherries to the pan and blend until smooth with a hand blender. You can cover the purée and refrigerate it for 1–2 days until you’re ready to serve.
-
To rim the glasses, cut a lemon in half and run it around the glass rims. Mix the sugar and edible gold glitter on a small plate, then dip the rims in the mixture so they are coated.
-
When serving, spoon about one-third of the glass with the black cherry purée and top up gently with chilled prosecco or champagne. Thread 2–3 cherries on a skewer and rest it across each glass for an elegant garnish.
Notes
*I use Opies black cherries in kirsch. If you can’t find them, use de-stoned tinned/canned black cherries in juice: use the cherries, half the juice and add 4 tbsp cherry brandy.
Nutritional information is per serving and provided as an approximation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as a guide only.
