The Bellini – Sally’s tried and true seasonal recipe Noble Rot Magazine

March 1, 2026

Excerpt of article by Eve Meehan, March 2026

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‘In another small dining room, one where the tablecloths have been laid, stained, washed, and relaid for over 40 years, devoted customers ‘cheers’ over another wine-based classic, the Bellini. Sally Clarke, the woman behind the time-honoured Clarke’s Restaurant, had her first Bellini in the swanky dining room of the renowned Harry’s Bar in Venice. With that sultry, salt-scented Venetian breeze wafting this way, Mr. Cipriani himself waltzing the other, and an ice-cold peach Bellini in hand, Sally was hooked; they were onto something with this drink. She scrawled it across the top left corner of her menu back in London, and it has remained steadfastly in place despite the rest of the menu changing twice every day. Of course, Sally Clarke would not be Sally Clarke if she didn’t honour seasonal produce, so her Bellini shifts in temperament, weather dependent—tart rhubarb in early spring, crimson blood orange in midwinter, the wonderfully textured pear in autumn, and always peaches in the summer. All brought together with a marriage of prosecco.

The way Sally Bellinis is reminiscent of the way she cultivates a restaurant; finding strength in simplicity and quality. Tried-and-tested techniques are prized. The silverware is laid properly, the candles are lit, and the Bellinis are served with just the right amount of foam. Drink it quickly, she says. Before it warms up, or the fruit starts to separate. Ideally, you’d be under a lemon tree in the hills of Capri, or if you can’t manage that, then basking in the gentle hum of Clarke’s in Notting Hill. You don’t need food to go with it—the allure of the Bellini is the way it perfectly captures the essence of the fruit. Simply cooked with a bit of sugar, a bit of lemon, a bit of prosecco. Pureed and briefly mixed over ice, poured into a champagne flute. Whisked away to your table and drunk before your gaze has even fallen upon the main course section of the menu.
Keep an eye out for the fig Bellini, with fig leaf syrup—that’s what Sally wants to try next …’

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