Mimosa
Equal parts chilled Champagne and fresh orange juice, poured into a flute for the classic brunch cocktail — simple, bright, and effervescent.
About the Mimosa
The Mimosa is about as simple as cocktails get: chilled Champagne (or another dry sparkling wine) topped with fresh orange juice, served in a flute. Its name comes from the mimosa flower, a bright yellow acacia blossom emblematic of the French Riviera, chosen because its colour matches the drink’s own pale gold.
It’s most widely credited to Frank Meier, head bartender at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, who is said to have first poured it around 1925. He recorded the recipe in his 1936 book The Artistry of Mixing Drinks, one of its earliest print appearances. The Mimosa is essentially an adaptation of the Buck’s Fizz, invented four years earlier at Buck’s Club in London — the two drinks differ mainly in ratio, with a Buck’s Fizz using roughly twice as much Champagne to juice.
Its low ABV, easy assembly, and bright citrus character have made it the default brunch cocktail, poured solo or as the centrepiece of a build-your-own mimosa bar.
The Classic Recipe
Classic Mimosa — Serves 1
- 90ml (3oz) chilled Champagne or dry sparkling wine
- 90ml (3oz) fresh orange juice
- Orange twist, to garnish (optional)
Method
- Chill a Champagne flute and pour in the fresh orange juice first.
- Top slowly with the chilled Champagne, pouring gently down the side of the glass to preserve the bubbles.
- Give it the gentlest stir, or skip stirring altogether, and serve immediately while it’s still fizzing.
Tips for the Best Mimosa
- Use fresh-squeezed orange juice. Carton juice works in a pinch, but fresh-squeezed (strained of pulp) gives a cleaner taste and a nicer pour against the bubbles.
- Chill everything ahead of time. There’s no ice in a Mimosa, so both the Champagne and the juice need to be properly cold before you start.
- Pour order matters. Juice first, then float the sparkling wine slowly down the side of the glass — this keeps more carbonation than pouring the other way round.
- Adjust the ratio to taste. Equal parts is the standard, but going 2:1 Champagne to juice edges it closer to a drier Buck’s Fizz if you want less sweetness.
- Make it to order. A Mimosa doesn’t hold its fizz if it’s mixed and left to sit — pour just before serving, especially for a group.
Popular Variations
Buck’s Fizz
The Mimosa’s direct predecessor, invented at Buck’s Club in London in 1921. Built the same way but with roughly twice as much Champagne to orange juice, for a drier, more Champagne-forward pour.
Poinsettia
Swaps the orange juice for cranberry juice with a splash of triple sec, giving a tarter, more festive red-hued take that’s popular around the holidays.
Bellini-Style Mimosa
Replace the orange juice with peach, pineapple, or grapefruit juice for a different fruit-forward spin on the same built-in-a-flute format.
DIY Mimosa Bar
A brunch-service staple: set out chilled sparkling wine alongside carafes of orange, cranberry, peach, and grapefruit juice and let guests build their own.
How to Serve
Glass: A chilled Champagne flute is the standard choice — its narrow shape helps hold the bubbles longer than a wider glass.
Ice: None. A Mimosa is always served ice-free, relying on pre-chilled ingredients to stay cold.
Batching for a crowd: Don’t pre-mix. Either set up a DIY mimosa bar with chilled sparkling wine and carafes of juice, or pre-portion the juice into glasses and top each one with sparkling wine table-side just before serving.
Related Database Entries
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