How to Make the Best Mimosa

A classic mimosa is best served ice-cold with freshly squeezed orange juice! This is the perfect daytime cocktail to sweeten up brunch. Make a carafe of these for Christmas brunch, wedding showers, parties, or a fun weekend with the girls!

mimosa beverages in champagne flutes with cocktail mixer set in backgroun

Who wants a mimosa?! It’s always me! I’m not one for sweet cocktails, but I love a good mimosa with breakfast. We usually serve these every Christmas morning as our breakfast casserole is in the oven. This is a classic recipe that really doesn’t need any more than two ingredients: sparkling wine and orange juice.

A lot of recipes will suggest adding other liquors to jazz it up, but I prefer to keep things simple. Let’s not mess up a good thing!

What is a mimosa?

A mimosa is a classic brunch beverage made of orange juice and champagne or other sparkling wine. It’s a popular drink that can have many different variations and be recreated to suit your tastes.

This drink got its name from the Mimosa plant which blooms bright yellow flowers. The color of the Mimosa drink closely resembles the blooms on the plant, hence the name mimosa.

How to Make Mimosas

This recipe is hardly complicated and requires little knowledge. It really doesn’t even require a kitchen! BUT, I do have a few suggestions on how to serve this drink and recommendations for variations and more.

Here are a few things I recommend for an easy presentation and serving:

Serving tray: Using a tray to set up glasses, napkins, and other small items will prevent multiple trips and keep everything in a tidy spot.
Carafe: Make a batch of mimosas to serve a crowd and pour them from a carafe. This one comes with a lid for easy refrigeration. Or, pick up a whole kit if you are setting up a mimosa bar.
Champagne flutes or wine glasses: Bubbles keep better when they are in flutes, but a wine glass would work just fine. You can find stemless and stemmed glasses.
Small bowls: These are perfect for fruit add-ins if you are setting up a DIY mimosa bar for a party.

Champagne for mimosas

Until recently, I thought mimosas were all made with champagne. While champagne will certainly work, it’s best to use a dry sparkling wine such as Prosecco or Cava. Both really affordable options, running at about $12-$14 per bottle.

Using a sweet wine, like champagne or other sparkling sweet wines, will give you quite a headache later on. Plus, you already have the sweetness and sugar from the orange juice.

Also, the price and quality of the sparkling wine are a lot less important for a mimosa than if you were to drink the wine alone. Since we are diluting the wine with orange juice, the bubbles are for that special effect!

Mimosa ratio

Much like any other mixed drink, the ratio is up to you. I prefer a 3:1 ratio of sparkline wine to orange juice.

If you are mixing your own, you can simply pour and taste test until you get the flavor and alcohol content to your liking.

In one 750 mL of sparkline wine, there are about 6-8 mimosas respectively.

Mixing and serving

I prefer to make a big batch of mimosas and pour them from a carafe. Whether you are making a carafe of these or a single serving, make sure to tilt the glass or carafe as you pour the sparkling wine. Then, add in the orange juice.

If the orange juice is poured first, you will run out of room for the wine and it will surely bubble over.

To make a carafe of mimosas:

Empty the contents of one bottle of sparkling wine into a carafe.
Add the orange juice.

To make a single mimosa:

Pour the sparkling wine into the glasses, until about half full.
Top with a few splashes of orange juice.
Taste test until the desired ratio is reached.

Mimosas are best sipped from champagne flutes to preserve the bubbles and carbonation. If you don’t have flutes, wine glasses will work fine.

Tips for the best mimosas

Making them for a crowd

Use a carafe to make mimosas for a whole crowd in just a few seconds. You can make them a few minutes before serving, but the carbonation may go flat if made too far ahead of time.

Keep ingredients super cold

Ice-cold ingredients are best for the most enjoyable mimosas! If you have a mimosa bar set up, place the carafe inside a cooler tub with ice or keep in the fridge.

Use freshly squeezed orange juice

If you want to go the extra mile, squeeze your own orange juice. But, store-bought is fine, too.

If you do opt for the store-bought version, make sure to invest in high-quality OJ that is pulp-free!

Serve with fresh fruits

If you want to shake things up, add berries as a garnish or (gently) muddled in the bottom of the glass.

Mimosa variations

A classic is a classic! But, if you are wanting a little variety with your mimosa, try out these juices or purees in place of OJ or as a splash on top.

Cranberry
Grapefruit
Mango
Pineapple
Pomegranate
Strawberry

Non-alcoholic (virgin) options

To make this recipe non-alcoholic, use sparkling white grape juice or sparkling water instead of the wine.

What to serve with mimosas

Mimosas are a great addition to Christmas brunch, breakfast recipes, and wedding or baby showers.

Here are some ideas to add to your brunch menu:

FAQ: Mimosa Recipe

What is a traditional mimosa?

Mimosas are a mixed cocktail of orange juice and sparkling wine or champagne.

How many mimosas are in a bottle of champagne?

6-8 mimosas can be served from one bottle of champagne.

What fruits go in mimosas?

Whole cranberries for garnish, strawberries, grapefruit, berries, pineapple and more are great options to garnish or add to your mimosa.

What kind of champagne is best for mimosas?

Prosecco or sparkling wine is best for mimosas instead of sweet wine like champagne.

What type of glass do you serve mimosas in?

Mimosas should be served in champagne flutes or wine glasses.