The other week, I was invited to a baby christening given by good friends. To my delight, as I walked into the party I was offered my favorite cocktail — a Bellini. What a wonderful way to start a party, and one that I have often employed myself. There are so many reasons to serve this concoction as an aperitif, the most important being that it is simply delicious. The beauty of this drink is that it's very costeffective because you use delicious, and relatively inexpensive, Prosecco, a sparkling wine from the Veneto region of Italy. Prosecco is only about 11 percent alcohol, and with the addition of peach nectar, you have a refreshing drink for these hot, humid days that will not have your guests too buzzed before dinner is served.

In 1948, Giuseppe Cipriani, the owner and bartender of Venice's famous Harry's Bar created the cocktail when he blended white peaches into a puree and topped this with Prosecco. He named the drink after Giovanni Bellini, the 15th-century Renaissance artist whose works were being exhibited in Venice that year. On a recent trip to Venice, a stop at the legendary Harry's was in order. Tasting the original was a wonderful (and pricey) experience — fresh peaches are squeezed by hand, and you're right on the Grand Canal.

I make Bellinis at home using Zardetto Prosecco and Kern's peach nectar. Try mixing some up for your next gathering — your guests will be impressed!

Champagne cocktails are a great way to start any gathering. The choices are many, from the classic champagne cocktail using a bitters-soaked sugar cube, to the basic brunch favorite the mimosa, made with orange juice. There is the Carol Channing made with Chambord (a black raspberry liqueur); the Buck's Fizz, invented at the Buck's Club in London in 1921 with orange juice and grenadine; the poinsettia made with cranberry juice; and the sophisticated Kir Royale made with CrEme de Cassis, a sweet, black currant-flavored liqueur dating back to the 16th century when it was invented by monks in France as a cure for snakebite and jaundice.

Timeless champagne cocktails are always classy. There is glamour in a tall flute of bubbly; intrigue in a mixture of fruit and sparkling. They have been named for movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe (who reportedly bathed in champagne) as well as being featured in the movies themselves.

Just think of the scene in "Casablanca" when Ilsa's husband, the Resistance fighter Victor Laszlo, orders a classic champagne cocktail while the jilted Yvonne drinks a French 75 (a cocktail made of champagne, lemon juice, sugar and gin, and named for a field gun used by the French army in World War I).

So for your next gathering, pick up some inexpensive sparkling wine or cava (Spanish sparkling). You want to use a good quality sparkler that you would drink on its own, but save the Dom and Veuve Clicquot for drinking straight.

Make sure it is a dry style (brut) because as you add flavors and fruit to the mix, it will become sweeter. Use a champagne flute for best results, and add the champagne after all the other ingredients (except for lemon peel, when called for).

For more tips on making champagne cocktails and a tasting of some of my favorites, stop by Neiman Marcus from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday for a free demonstration in the Epicure department directly outside Mariposa restaurant.

Cynthia Fenner is a certified sommelier and wine buyer for the Epicure department at Neiman Marcus. Reach her at 948-7557.