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Who wants a mimosa? My answer is yes, always. Mimosas are extremely simple bubbly cocktails made with sparkling wine and orange juice. They are light, effervescent and easy to drink.
I love ordering mimosas at weekend brunch and serving them to family and friends on holidays: Easter, Mother’s Day, July 4th, Christmas, you name it. Mimosas liven up weddings and baby showers. I bring mimosa supplies to football parties, and no one complains.
I’ve shared a few variations on mimosas over the years. Today, I’m going to share everything you’ve ever wanted to know about mimosas, plus a basic mimosa recipe and variations.
If you haven’t poured your first mimosa yet, you’ll be a mimosa expert by the end of this post! If you’re an experienced mimosa drinker, I think you’ll find some new tips here as well.
<img src="https://cookieandkate.com/images/2017/12/basic-orange-mimosa-recipe.jpg" alt="basic
orange mimosa recipe” />
Mimosa
ingredients
Classic mimosas require only two ingredients: dried sparkling wine and orange juice. Some recipes will tell you to add Cointreau or orange liqueur. Don’t listen to them!
The
best champagne for mimosas is not actually champagne. For mimosas, opt for a less expensive cava or prosecco. The cava is from Spain and Prosecco is from Italy, but both are delicious dry sparkling wines that blend well with the juice.
bonus? They are affordable. A good bottle of cava or Prosecco will cost between $12 and $16. Avoid super cheap sparkling wine (cough, André), unless you want a headache with your mimosas. Don’t waste your expensive bottle of champagne on mimosas, as we’re diluting those delicate notes with orange juice.
My sparkling wine for mimosas is Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava. It comes in an eye-catching black bottle with gold writing on the label, and usually costs around $12.
Cold
orange juice
, fresh orange juice is best for mimosas. If you’re buying orange juice at the store, opt for high-quality, unconcentrated, pulpless orange juice. I don’t mind the pulp when I’m drinking orange juice on its own, but the pulp makes a mess when mixed with bubbly.
If you want to squeeze your own oranges, squeeze them in advance so you can cool the juice before using them. If you see any pulp floating around, strain the orange juice before cooling. Any member of the orange family will produce delicious juice for mimosas, from navel oranges to blood oranges and clementines.
Mimosa Ratio
The perfect ratio of sparkling wine to orange juice is up to you. My suggestion? Start with the suggested 50/50 ratio below and adjust from there.
I make my mimosas with 2 parts sparkling wine and 1 part orange juice: they are light, effervescent and have a great impact. That’s how we made them when I was a waiter.
If you like sweeter, juicier mimosas, start with a 50/50 ratio and add more orange juice if desired. After a delicious experimentation, you will know exactly how you like your mimosas!
How to make the best mimosa
- Start with cold ingredients and keep them cold. Hot mimosas are not so refreshing.
- Serve mimosas on champagne flutes. Its high design helps retain bubbles. If you don’t have them, use wine glasses.
- Pour the sparkling wine first. Otherwise, the wine/orange juice mixture could overflow and make a mess.
- wine, hold your glass on a slight incline (as you would when pouring beer) to preserve carbonation.
- Don’t stir your mimosas! The action of pouring alone will mix your drink, and stirring them will release more bubbles.
- To decorate or not to decorate? I like my mimosas as simple as possible, so I don’t garnish my drinks. However, you could dress the edges of your glasses with a touch of orange or a cute orange wedge, as Ali does here.
When pouring
See How to Make Mimosas
<img src="https://cookieandkate.com/images/2017/12/pomegranate-mimosas-recipe-4.jpg" alt=
“Pomegranate Mimosas Recipe” />
Easy Mimosa Variations Basic mimosas
are made with orange juice, and there’s nothing wrong with anything good. However, if you want to change them, choose any of the following juices instead!
- Cranberry juice (“Poinsettia
- Grapefruit juice (“Megmosa
- Peach puree (“Bellini”)
- Pineapple
- Pear nectar
- Pomegranate
- cider
- Watermelon
“)
“)
juice
juice Apple
juice How to make a mimosa bar Since mimosas are so simple, offer
a
mimosa bar where your guests can combine cold sparkling wine and juice in their own glasses. To make it even more fun, you can provide orange juice and any of the juices mentioned above for guests to mix and match.
Mimosa jugs
You could premix mimosas in a pitcher. Simply combine equal parts sparkling wine and juice. The downside is that you’ll lose some carbonation in the process, so mix them just before the party and store the jar in the refrigerator until the guests arrive.
Please let me know how your mimosas turn out in the comments! I hope my mimosa tips produce the best mimosa you’ve ever tried.
