Mimosa the Brunch Classic

A mimosa is the ultimate celebration cocktail. Great for brunch and any holiday celebration. Classic mimosa’s consist of a citrus juice (more than likely orange juice) and sparkling wine. This recipe has a little extra flare….

Happy New Year!!

The Mimosa Ingredients

A mimosa normally just contains orange juice (or some other citrus juice) and sparkling wine (Cava, Champagne, or Prosecco). As mentioned earlier, this recipe has a something else…What is it? Glad you asked, it’s Grand Mariner Cordon Rouge . The orange liqueur just adds an extra flare and it taste amazing. But, it’s not required to make a traditionally mimosa.

Sparkling Wine

Here you have options…To make this classic either Cava, Champagne, or Prosecco could be used. Usually champagne is rather expensive and does not exactly change the taste of this cocktail if used. But, if you choose this option for your next celebration try out Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec Champagne. This brand is famous for their champagne, but this particular kind is light and fresh with hints of fruits such as grapefruit and pears. It’s absolutely delicious (by itself), if you try it out…let us know what you think.

The other two sparkling wine options are widely available and are normally used to make the classic mimosa, especially at restaurants. Let’s talk more about them….What’s the difference between Cava and Prosecco? The main difference is their place of origin. Cava is from Spain and Prosecco is from Italy, both are amazing in cocktails as well as by themselves. My favorite Cava to purchase is Freixenet Carta Nevada Semi Dry because it’s very inexpensive. It has notes of peaches and taste pretty stellar in this mimosa. Our favorite prosecco brand is Chloe, which again is another affordable brand, with notes of peaches, green apples, and citrus.

Orange Juice

On to the next best part of this cocktail….the orange juice. The key to a great mimosa is using fresh orange juice or at least purchasing high quality orange juice from your local store. What do you mean by high quality? Just simply means a pulp-free and 100% juice such as Simply Orange. For Fresh Orange Juice: If opting out for fresh orange juice, you will need about 4-8 medium size oranges. In addition you’ll need either a juice machine (and strainer) or a citrus reamer (and strainer). If juicing the oranges, just simply remove the skin and push through your machine. Make sure to strain the juice to remove any remaining pulp. If using the citrus reamer, roll each orange with the palm of your hand and lightly press down. Cut the oranges in half and squeeze the juice into a glass using the citrus reamer. Boom! Fresh juice on deck!

Just like the sparkling wine, make sure to chill the orange juice before use because a warm mimosa does not sound appealing.

Orange Liqueur

The last component to this recipe is orange liqueur aka Grand Mariner Cordon Rouge. As mentioned earlier, this ingredient is not mandatory to make a mimosa. But, to bring an extra flare to the cocktail, we recommend adding the orange liqueur. What is Grand Mariner? To simply put it, Grand Mariner is a French brand cognac liqueur. This company sells different flavors, but it’s most popular is the orange liqueur known as Cordon Rouge. What’s also great of this liqueur is the variety of other cocktails it could be used for like old fashion’s, sangria, and etc.

How to make a Mimosa

On to the fun part….making the mimosa. To serve this amazing brunch cocktail, we suggest adding roughly 2-3 cups of chilled orange juice into a serving pitcher. Personally I like for guest to make their own mimosa because some people like a splash of juice with sparkling wine. While others like an equal mixture of orange juice to sparkling wine. Whatever floats your boat, they now have the option to estimate their juice quantity.

To the actual champagne flutes add half an ounce (1 tablespoon) of Grand Mariner. Next, fill the champagne flutes slowly with sparkling wine (1/2-3/4 full) and top it off with fresh orange juice. Serve.

Mimosa Tips

• Use the right ratio for you. As mentioned in the previous section some prefer more/less juice in their mimosa. What’s important is that you love the ratio you choose. If your the type of person who loves sparkling wine, just add 1-2 tablespoons of orange juice. If you love an equal mixture add 1 part orange juice and 1 part sparkling water. Lastly, if you just like orange juice with a splash of sparkling wine. Just fill your flute 2/3 with orange juice and the remaining with sparkling wine.
• Keep the ingredients cold. There’s no need to refrigerate Grand Mariner, but the other two ingredients (sparkling wine and orange juice) should be chilled because a hot/ room temperature mimosa is not refreshing.
• Always serve in champagne flutes. Flutes are designed to retain the carbonation of sparkling wines because their inward taper reduces surface area. Thus, trapping the bubbles in the glass leaving you with a bubbly sparkling wine.
• Pour the sparkling wine slowly. When making the mimosa it’s important to add the sparkling wine before the juice in order to prevent spillage. Since sparkling wine contains carbonation, pouring quickly will quickly waste product.
• Never stir the mimosa. Stirring this cocktail will only decrease your carbonation, leading to a bubble-less mess.
• Add a pop of color. We always see things before we taste them, so add a garnish such as fruit or fresh herbs. This makes the cocktail standout and look pretty darn amazing.

Interested in more bubbles?

Check out these sparkling wine recipes below:

• Apple Cider Mimosa
• French 77