Bloody Good
This is about the return of blood orange juice, a seasonal mixer in a 32-ounce plastic container. At least, it seems seasonal to me. It recently reappeared at Whole Foods in Devon – as it occasionally does – in the fresh juice cooler tucked next to the cherries, grapes and fresh-cut flowers. None of the employees I asked could confirm the frequency of the juice’s availability. I searched online, too, to find consumers enjoying it in the dead of winter. Anyway, it probably won’t stick around so stock up now.
Blood orange juice is the key ingredient for my brand of Bellini. Traditionally, the Italian cocktail is a blend of peach purée and Prosecco but I think it was Mario Batali who corrupted my palate with this alternate version. He called it a Bellini yet it more closely resembles a Mimosa – the blend of orange juice and Champagne. Call it what you want: A Bloody Mimosa, Bellosa or Mimini. In the end it’s just damned fine.
I’m taking liberties all around with my Bellini. The wine I mixed it with, a 2009 Enrico Sarafino Moscato d’Asti is a fine replacement for Prosecco. At $9.99 a bottle, it can be found just about anywhere in the area except, oddly enough, the attractive new PLCB outpost in Devon.
The Sarafino renders a sensible sweetness with gentle effervescence to tickle the tonsils. It’s a mix of citrus and tropical fruit, floral notes and another element I can’t quite place. The label says it’s sage. All right then, sage it is. Typically a dessert wine, Moscato is light and refreshing and not to be pondered. It’s Tinkerbell wine.
Using a white wine glass or tumbler, I add about one part to three, cold juice to cold wine. Blood OJ ($3.99 at Whole Foods) brings intensity, starting with its almost violent color. On the tongue it’s sharp, tangy and slightly sweet – perhaps aptly described as having a grapefruit quality. Like many great flavors, it draws on competing elements. Here, it’s some pleasure and some pucker. Mixology yin and yang.
With light alcohol and fruity spritz, the Bellini is custom-made for kicking back on a summer night. It’s a thing of simple beauty, really. Pulp floats to the surface like a delectable flotsam and the tart juice pokes at the Moscato’s tiny love handles, training it into a sly cherub with baby muscles. It’s the blood orange that lingers on the palate, begging for additional companionship. Why resist the impulse to comply?
I plan to explore the Bellini landscape during the next couple months: White peach purée, watermelon, pink grapefruit, the works. Care to join mellini?