Better-than-your-Basic Bellinis

It's hard not to love a champagne cocktail, especially around the holidays.  One of my favorite such cocktails is the bellini.  It's as welcome at brunch as it is at a cocktail party and the flavor possibilities are virtually endless.  This year I spiced up my favorite sparkly cocktail with some festive fixings: ginger and rosemary simple syrups added to peach and pear nectar.  The ginger peach bellinis were pretty amazing, but it was the rosemary pear bellinis that stole the show.  Serve these at your next holiday get-together!

My festive fixings!

Ginger Peach Bellini

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 3-4" pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into discs
24 ounces peach nectar (I like Kern's)

Rosemary Pear Bellini

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 sprigs fresh rosemary (plus one or two extra for garnish)
24 ounces pear nectar

To serve: dry sparkling wine, such as Prosecco or Cava

To make the ginger and rosemary simple syrups, bring 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Once the syrup has come to a boil, add the ginger or rosemary and allow the syrup to simmer, covered, for another 10-15 minutes.  Then, remove the syrup from the heat and allow the ginger or rosemary to steep in the syrup.  Once the syrup cools to room temperature, strain it through a fine mesh seive and discard the leftover ginger or rosemary.  

To serve, mix 1 cup of the simple syrup with 24 ounces of peach or pear nectar in a small pitcher.  Garnish the rosemary pear nectar with a sprig of fresh rosemary.  A long twist of lemon or orange peel makes a lovely garnish for the ginger peach nectar (not to go all Martha Stewart on you).  Make the bellinis by pouring a few tablespoons of the ginger peach or rosemary pear nectar into a champagne flute and top with your favorite dry sparkling wine.  

Just add guests and you've got yourself a party!