Lychee Lovers Bellini

Serves 4

Ingredients:

20 fresh whole lychees, peeled and pitted
2 cups/450 ml chilled sparkling wine
8 teaspoons/40 ml Chambord (optional)

Method:

Puree the lychees in a blender until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine-meshed strainer and into a bowl, pressing on the solids in the strainer to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids.

Chill the lychee juice until it is cold. Pour 2 tablespoons/30 ml of lychee juice into each of 4 Champagne flutes.  Add enough sparkling wine (about 1/2 cup/115 ml) to fill each glass.  Add 2 teaspoons/10 ml of Chambord to each glass and stir gently to blend, and serve.