Mimosa cocktail

Mimosa

Alessandro Scire Calabrisotto

Bright, effervescent and irresistibly simple, the Mimosa is the drink that turns any morning into an occasion. Two ingredients — chilled sparkling wine and fresh orange juice — combine into something far greater than the sum of its parts. It is the signature pour of brunch, weddings and lazy celebrations the world over, beloved precisely because it asks so little and gives so much.

History of the Mimosa

The Mimosa is widely said to have been created around 1925 at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, where a bartender is credited with pairing Champagne and orange juice into the elegant aperitif we know today. It takes its name from the mimosa plant, whose clusters of small, bright-yellow flowers echo the drink's sunny golden colour.

The Mimosa shares its DNA with the Buck's Fizz, a similar Champagne-and-orange creation said to have appeared a few years earlier at the Buck's Club in London, though the two differ in their proportions. Whatever the precise lineage, the combination quickly became a fixture of fashionable hotel bars and, in time, the definitive drink of the brunch table — a status it has never relinquished.

Recipe: How to Make a Classic Mimosa

Ingredients:

  • 75 ml (2.5 oz) chilled Champagne or dry sparkling wine
  • 75 ml (2.5 oz) fresh orange juice

Instructions:

  1. Ensure both the sparkling wine and the orange juice are thoroughly chilled before you begin.
  2. Pour the fresh orange juice into a chilled flute first.
  3. Top up gently with the sparkling wine, pouring slowly to preserve the bubbles.
  4. Give the surface the lightest of stirs only if needed to combine.
  5. Garnish with a thin orange twist if you wish, and serve immediately.

Tips for Perfection:

  • Always chill both ingredients well in advance — a Mimosa lives or dies by how cold and crisp it is.
  • Use freshly squeezed orange juice; the difference in brightness over carton juice is dramatic.
  • Pour the sparkling wine slowly over the juice to keep the bubbles lively rather than flat.

Additional Recommendations

Variations:

  • Buck's Fizz: a close relative built on a higher proportion of Champagne to orange juice.
  • Grand Mimosa: add a splash of Grand Marnier for extra depth and orange richness.
  • Poinsettia: swap orange juice for cranberry juice to create a festive, ruby-hued version.

Pairings:

  • Classic brunch dishes such as eggs Benedict or smoked salmon.
  • Buttery pastries, croissants and brioche.
  • Fresh fruit platters and light salads.

Presentation:

  • Serve in a tall, chilled flute to showcase the colour and the rising bubbles.
  • A delicate orange twist or wheel adds an elegant finishing touch.

Curiosity: A Fun Fact About the Mimosa

The Mimosa takes its name directly from a flower. The mimosa plant produces fluffy clusters of vivid yellow blossoms, and early drinkers thought the cocktail's golden glow was a perfect match — a rare case of a drink named not for a person or place, but for the bloom it happens to resemble.

Sources

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