Mimosa Recipe (Champagne Orange Cocktail) (original) (raw)

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This champagne orange cocktail (also known as a mimosa) is the perfect beverage to serve for brunch with friends or at a party. It's a simple recipe made with dry sparkling wine, orange juice, and a splash of Grand Marnier and is light, refreshing, and tastes like a celebration.

Serve brunch mimosa with some apple pancakes, smoked salmon eggs benedict, or this indulgent gruyere and white cheddar strata.

What is a Mimosa

A champagne orange cocktail (also known as a mimosa) is the best drink for celebrating. It's light, fizzy, and always welcome – from brunch to holiday celebrations to showers, this is one cocktail that's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Making this classic mimosa recipe with orange juice and champagne is super simple and easy to customize to taste with more bubbles or juice. It's also easy to make a non-alcoholic version so everyone at the party feels included.

Ingredient notes

• Orange Juice – While fresh squeezed orange juice will turn your mimosa into a real treat, store-bought orange juice tastes great, too. Buy the best orange juice that you can, preferably not from concentrate. Pulp-free is the best option for mimosas as the pulp will leave your pretty champagne flutes looking messy and unappetizing.
• Sparkling Wine – We like brut the best for mimosas as it's not overly sweet and works well with sweet orange juice. But prosecco or cava are good options, especially if you prefer a sweeter cocktail. No matter which you go for, don't buy the most expensive bottle. But also steer clear of the cheapest bottles. You want to choose a sparkling wine that you would enjoy sipping on its own.
• Grand Mariner – We sometimes add this for a slightly boozier champagne orange cocktail. You can also use another brand of orange liqueur.
• Orange Bitters – Bitters are spirits that have been infused with various herbs and spices and are sold in small jars often in grocery stores or specialty food stores. Orange bitters are primarily flavored with bitter Sevilla orange peels. A drop or two is all you need to add a little extra flavor and aroma to your cocktail.

How to make a mimosa

Making this cocktail couldn't be any easier. And even though we've listed amounts in the recipe card, this is one cocktail that you can easily free-pour – no need to fuss over measuring exact quantities!

1. Start by filling a champagne flute at least halfway with sparkling wine. If you'd like, you can add a splash of Grand Marnier for a boozier orange cocktail.
2. Then all you have to do is fill the glass with orange juice. So easy! Sometimes we get fancy and add a drop or two of orange bitters on top and maybe a garnish, but these are completely optional.

Make mimosas for a party

Mimosas are the best party drink! You have two options for how to serve them:

1. Set up a mimosa bar – This option is so fun! Set out a few bottles of sparkling wine on ice, several different juices, a couple of syrups (like Cassis), and a few garnishes and let guests help themselves.
2. Make a pitcher – This is the easiest option both for you and your guests. Simply pour the mimosa ingredients into a large pitcher and set it next to a stack of glasses. For this option, go for our 50/50 ratio: part orange juice + one part chilled sparkling wine.

To keep the pitcher chilly without diluting the mimosa, you have a few options:

• Add large-format ice cubes. These are the ones we use. Freezing water in muffin tins or even small bowls works, too!
• You can also freeze orange juice so that your mimosa will simply become juicier as the ice melts.
• Or you can freeze water or juice in the bottom of a (plastic – glass will break) pitcher ahead of time.

Mimosa ratio

The perfect ratio of orange juice to sparkling wine depends on you! We like to make ours with mostly sparkling wine and just a splash of orange juice to top it off. But other people like their mimosas heavier on the orange juice with only a little sparkling wine.

To find the perfect balance we recommend starting with a 50/50 ratio, equal parts orange juice and champagne. Fill half of your glass with sparkling wine and half with orange juice. From there you can experiment with more wine or more orange juice, depending on your taste.

The recipe below is based on this 50/50 ratio.

Recipe FAQs

What's the difference between a mimosa and a champagne orange cocktail?

They're very similar and we tend to use the two names interchangeably. A traditional mimosa is made with just sparkling wine and orange juice. We like to add a little Grand Mariner and sometimes a few drops of orange bitters to turn it into a champagne orange cocktail.

What’s the best champagne for mimosas?

Don't blow your budget on expensive champagne! But also don't buy the cheapest bottle of sparkling wine; you want to buy a bottle you would enjoy drinking even if you weren't mixing it.

We like brut the best as it's less sweet and (we think) goes better with sweet orange juice. But if you know that you like cocktails on the sweeter side, pick up a bottle of prosecco or cava.

Can I make this a virgin cocktail?

Yes! Simply omit the triple sec and use bubbly water instead of bubbly wine.

Mimosa variations to try

• Try making your mimosa with pineapple juice, cranberry juice, or pink grapefruit juice.
• Add a splash of crème de cassis (or another blackberry liqueur) for a pretty ombre pink color.
• Drop a hibiscus flower into the bottom of your champagne flute for a pretty garnish.
• Blend the orange juice with ice for a bellini-like cocktail.
• Add a strawberry or a few raspberries to your glass.
• Drop a few cranberries into the glass for a festive vibe.

When to serve a mimosa

Mimosas can be served on any occasion and any time of the day!

• Late breakfast/brunch party.
• Baby shower or wedding shower.
• Afternoon on the patio.
• As a pre-dinner drink.
• At a birthday party.
• New Year's Eve celebration.

What to serve with mimosas

Popular brunch cocktails

• ▢ 1 750 ml bottle dry sparkling wine

• ▢ ½ cup Grand Marnier (optional)

• ▢ 3 cups orange juice

• ▢ 8 drops orange bitters (optional)

• ▢ Mint leaf or orange slice (to garnish)

• Divide the sparkling wine between champagne flutes, filling each glass at least halfway.
  1 750 ml bottle dry sparkling wine

• If you're using Grand Marnier, add 2 tablespoons to each glass. To make these fuss-free, simply pour in a splash.
  ½ cup Grand Marnier

• Top with orange juice and add a drop of orange bitters to each glass.
  3 cups orange juice, 8 drops orange bitters

• To make the mimosas extra pretty, add a mint leaf or orange slice.

To make a large batch of mimosas for a party, simply add the ingredients to a pitcher.

Serving: 1 mimosa, Calories: 138kcal (7%), Carbohydrates: 16g (5%), Protein: 1g (2%), Fat: 1g (2%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 9mg, Potassium: 273mg (8%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 14g (16%), Vitamin A: 186IU (4%), Vitamin C: 47mg (57%), Calcium: 19mg (2%), Iron: 1mg (6%)