Mango and Lychee Bellini

As a tasty alternative to a classic Peach Bellini, this sweet mango and fragrant lychee cocktail makes a lovely combination, but you don’t have to stop here. Try some other types of soft fruit, such as raspberries or even a mixture of berries – in fact, go mad! Become famous for your fruity combos among your friends, open a Bellini bar, turn it into a franchise and become rich beyond your wildest dreams …

MAKES 8 glasses

PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes

1 large ripe mango, pitted, peeled and roughly chopped

8 canned lychees, plus 2 tbsp of the lychee juice or syrup

1 bottle of chilled Prosecco, cava or Champagne

 

1 Put the mango and lychees in a blender with the juice and blend until you have a really smooth purée. (The purée can be made a couple of days in advance and kept in the refrigerator.)

2 Divide the purée into 8 Champagne flutes and pour in a little sparkling wine. Stir to mix, then slowly top up the glasses with the remaining sparkling wine.

How to make

berry purée

if you prefer your Bellini with berries, here's how to make the purée. Blend 200g/7oz fresh or frozen berries to a smooth purée. Have a taste and if they seem quite sharp, add a little sifted icing/confectioners’ sugar until they taste how you like them. Press the purée through a sieve/fine-mesh strainer/ fine-mesh strainer, leaving any pips and seeds behind. To make up the Bellini, half fill Champagne flutes with chilled sparkling wine or Champagne, then stir in 1 tbsp of the purée and 1 tbsp berry liqueur, such as crème de cassis (blackcurrant), chambord (raspberry), crème du muré (blackberry) or kirsch (cherry). Stir to mix and slowly top up with more sparkling wine. Any leftover purée can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days or stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Leftovers for an ice cream sauce

mango and lychee purée

It’s well worth making extra purée so you have plenty more than you need. It’s delicious poured onto ice cream to make a sundae, stirred into whipped cream for desserts or mixed into yogurt. I really like to freeze it in ice-cube trays so I can enjoy a cheeky little Mango and Lychee Bellini any time I fancy it.