Why the Bellini Project?

It all started last year when I went out for lunch to celebrate a few mutual birthdays. It was raining that day, and the recession was starting to hit home for all of us. Feeling the need for some joy, I ordered a Bellini. Obama had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize that morning, so perhaps all was not lost. Our bill for 7 Bellinis alone came to about £100. I was embarrassed, enlightened, and just darn mad.



The drinks were actually pretty good that day, but I felt cheated. I wanted to celebrate, and instead was left feeling both reckless and duped. I know London is expensive, but I couldn’t understand how a drink that I loved could cost so much. Little did I know, it could cost more, in many like-minded restaurants and bars.

I decided that there must be a restaurant/bar/pub somewhere in London where a Bellini was well-made, and well-priced, and it would be my mission to find it. Not a frugal endeavor, but then the more I mentioned The Bellini Project to friends, they more they wanted to join in, tell me their own Bellini stories, make their own concoctions, and to my great luck, invite me for a drink or two. Suddenly the Bellini quest took on a life of its own.