The Best Mimosa (Plus Tips & Variations!)
Learn how to make classic orange mimosas with this recipe, plus find tips on how to make them your own! Mimosa cocktails are easy to make and delicious.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
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Who wants a mimosa?! My answer is yes, always. Mimosas are supremely simple bubbly cocktails made with sparkling wine and orange juice. They’re light, fizzy and easy to sip.
I love ordering mimosas at weekend brunch, and serving them to family and friends on holidays—Easter, Mother’s Day, July 4th, Christmas, you name it. Mimosas liven up wedding showers and baby showers. I bring mimosa supplies to football watch parties, and no one complains.
I’ve shared a few variations on mimosas over the years. Today, I’m going to share everything you’ve ever wanted to know about mimosas, plus a basic mimosa recipe and variations.
If you haven’t poured your first mimosa yet, you’ll be a mimosa expert by the end of this post! If you’re a seasoned mimosa drinker, I think you’ll find some new tips here, too.
Mimosa Ingredients
Classic mimosas require just two ingredients: dry sparkling wine, and orange juice. Some recipes will tell you to add Cointreau or orange liqueur. Don’t listen to them!
Sparkling Wine
The best Champagne for mimosas isn’t actually Champagne. For mimosas, opt for less-expensive Cava or Prosecco. Cava is from Spain and Prosecco is from Italy, but they’re both delicious dry sparkling wines that mix well with juice.
Bonus? They’re affordable. A good bottle of Cava or Prosecco will run about $12 to $16. Avoid super cheap sparkling wine (cough, André), unless you want a headache with your mimosas. Don’t waste your pricy bottle of Champagne on mimosas, since we’re diluting those delicate notes with orange juice.
My go-to sparkling wine for mimosas is Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava. It comes in a striking black bottle with gold writing on the label, and generally costs about $12.
Orange Juice
Cold, fresh orange juice is best for mimosas. If you’re buying orange juice at the store, opt for high-quality, not from concentrate, pulp-free orange juice. I don’t mind pulp when I’m sipping orange juice on its own, but the pulp makes a mess when it mixes with bubbly.
If you want to juice your own oranges, juice them in advance so you can chill the juice before using. If you see any pulp floating around, strain the orange juice before chilling. Any member of the orange family will yield delicious juice for mimosas, from navel oranges to blood oranges to clementines.
Mimosa Ratio
The perfect ratio of sparkling wine to orange juice is up to you. My suggestion? Start with the 50/50 ratio suggested below and adjust from there.
I make my mimosas with 2 parts sparkling wine and 1 part orange juice—they’re light, fizzy, and pack a punch. That’s how we made them when I was a bartender.
If you like sweeter, more juicy mimosas, start with a 50/50 ratio and add more orange juice if desired. After some delicious experimentation, you’ll know exactly how you like your mimosas!
How to Make the Best Mimosa
- Start with cold ingredients, and keep them chilled. Warm mimosas are not nearly as refreshing.
- Serve mimosas in Champagne flutes. Their tall design helps retain bubbles. If you don’t have those, use wine glasses.
- Pour in the sparkling wine first. Otherwise, the wine/orange juice mixture might overflow and make a mess.
- When pouring the wine, hold your glass at a slight tilt (like you would when pouring beer) to preserve carbonation.
- Don’t stir your mimosas! The pouring action alone will mix your drink, and stirring them will release more bubbles.
- To garnish or not to garnish? I like my mimosas as simple as possible, so I don’t garnish my drinks. You could, however, dress up the rims of your glasses with an orange twist or a cute little orange wedge, like Ali does here.
Watch How to Make Mimosas
Easy Mimosa Variations
Basic mimosas are made with orange juice, and there’s nothing wrong with a good thing. If you want to change them up, though, choose any of the following juices instead!
- Cranberry juice (“Poinsettia”)
- Grapefruit juice (“Megmosa”)
- Peach purée (“Bellini“)
- Pineapple juice
- Pear nectar
- Pomegranate juice
- Apple cider
- Watermelon juice
How to Make a Mimosa Bar
Since mimosas are so simple, offer a mimosa bar where your guests can combine chilled sparkling wine and juice in their own glasses. To make it even more fun, you could provide orange juice and any of the juices listed above so guests can mix and match.
Mimosa Pitchers
You could pre-mix mimosas in a pitcher. Just combine equal parts sparkling wine and juice. The downside is that you’ll lose some carbonation in the process, so mix them just before the party and store the pitcher in the refrigerator until guests arrive.
Please let me know how your mimosas turn out in the comments! I hope my mimosa tips yield the best mimosa you’ve ever had.
Best Mimosa
Learn how to make classic orange mimosas with this recipe, plus find tips on how to make them your own! Mimosas are super easy to make once you know the basics. Recipe yields about 8 mimosas.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle (750 mL) chilled Cava or Prosecco
- 2 to 4 cups chilled pulp-free orange juice
Instructions
- While holding your Champagne flute at a slight tilt, fill the glass about halfway with sparkling wine.
- Fill the rest of the glass with orange juice, and serve promptly. Feel free to adjust the ratio of sparkling wine to orange juice to suit your preferences (I like my mimosas with more sparkling wine than orange juice).
Notes
Recommended equipment: Here are my Champagne flutes (that’s an affiliate link). Since they’re stemless, they’re not so easy to break.
If you love this recipe: Check out more bubbly cocktails, my favorite red sangria, or view all of my cocktails.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I’ve never thought of using Cava!
I only brake it out for Tapas or a home cured Iberian Charcuterie spread.
You just saved me a bundle!
Thanks!!
It’s perfect for mimosas! I’m glad you found this post helpful, Michael!
It feels good to know that we did mimosas RIGHT this year! It was basically the only thing that my husband cared about. And that’s exactly the kind of sparkling wine that I bought for them! I feel validated in my choice. ;)
That’s great! :)
My absolute favorite mimosa is a guava mimosa using Kerns nectar. It’s dangerously good!
It looks so delicious! Perfect for anyone. Keep sharing!
Thank you!
A very similar drink in the UK is called Bucks Fizz…2 parts Champagne/1 part orange juice. l live in South Africa and we have what has to be called Methode Cap Classique.. only Champagne from the French Champagne region can be called that.. and some of them are better for Bucks Fizz than others. Many Italian Proseccos can be quite sweet so I don’t think I would pair them with sweet orange juice. In summer (which is now in this hemisphere) I would serve this with a Sunday brunch. Christmas Day braais (BBQ) just have to have Bucks Fizz….along with many other drinks…non-alcohol for the designated drivers.
Thanks for the background! Sounds wonderful.
Love those stemless champagne flutes! Where’d you get them? Thanks for all you do!
Never mind! Just noticed the link. Ha! Thank you!
Thank you! You can find some at Crate & Barrel!
Never met a mimosa I didn’t like ;)
I know, right?!
Ms. Kate Taylor…
I’d been craving a kickass mimosa for MONTHS. It was such a delight to come across your scrumptious recipe.
thank you.
Cheers ❤
Victoria in the Wild West.
You NOW have someone in
New Mexico enjoying it.
Hooray! I’m glad you found it and that it was just what you were looking for! Thanks for your review, Victoria.
Thank you for your mimosa recipe. I am having family over for Mother’s Day and plan on making Bellini’s and Mimosas. Will definitely be using your recipes.
Thanks again.
You’re welcome! Enjoy them :)
I tried your mimosa recipes was excellent thanks.
You’re welcome, Lidie!
These are great mimosas. Thank you for the recipe my weekend will be fun.
I’m happy you enjoyed them, Ema!
The best Mimosas are the traditional Mimosas w Cointreau, or better yet, peach schnapps.
Why not try portuguese “Espumante”, Portugal’s champagne version.
Like a lot of portuguese wines, it’s brilliant and less expensive.
Thank you Kate! I’ve been making mimosas for years and I’ve never used any certain recipe. However, your tips are sure to come in handy! Have a great day!
I hope you like the different variations, Missy!
How do you make enough Mimosas for 1 1/2 gallons? What is the recipe for this?
Thank you for the tips!!! MY mimosa was GREAT!
CAN I USE A CERAMIC PUNCH BOWL TO MAKE MIMOSAS? OR IS IT BETTER TO USE A PITCHER?
I like the pitcher for ease of pouring, but you could try a punch bowl.
Add papaya juice to the mix. They are awesome
Adding a 1/2 a shot of grand marnier to a classic mimosa is another way pump up the flavor.
Hi Kate:
Just found your site tonight, and got sucked into the rabbit hole that it is (a big compliment to you, considering I am an omnivore who suffers no existential crises if the food on my plate once had a face – we’re all part of the food chain ;o) )
Anyway, I tended bar for a lot of years, most of them at a country club where a women’s lunch function could involve hundreds of mimosas being made — along with my frequent recommendation of Champagne with Chambord, but just a dash, if it’s a pretty purple color it’s going to be cloyingly sweet (use the cheaper Dekuyper Razzmatazz if you want the darker color).
The concept and visual imagery of a mimosa rarely matches the reality of that first sip, most are often too sour without enough orange flavor. I made them that way for a number of years until a picked up a trick from a now-forgotten mixology test, and that is to add a small amount of Triple Sec to your mimosa. It brings out more orangey-ness, and lessens the sourness of it.
You don’t need much; for a regular champagne flute, I would just fill the inverted dimple (nipple?) at the base of the flute, probably less than 1/2 ounce, and following with your 50/50 proportions, except that I would fill with OJ first; it seems to help keep it bubbly longer.
Thanks for your time, pictures, science of, and the elegance of your site; I look forward to exploring it even more!
Cannot wait to try this recipe tomorrow!
I hope you loved it!
They were delicious!
My fav mimosa variation is with pink grapefruit juice and a strawberry garnish.
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing Stephanie.
Will try it, great info. Thanks!
My favorite is to mix one part pineapple, one part orange juice and two parts sparkling wine(I prefer Prosecco.) If has a tropical island taste and is SO refreshing!
Sounds great!!!!!
I served these today for Mother’s Day brunch. Thanks for the recipe, especially the recommendation for Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava, which was readily available for less than $10.
My mimosa turned out great I appreciate the info end directions.
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review.
What is a good NA version?
Hi Jackie, you could try a sparkling soda or and NA bubble juice.
Totally agree with your mimosa assessment that that simple is better. However I would like to share that our family favorite adds a splash of amaretto to the standard mimosa recipe which adds a wonderful flavor to the classic drink. We’ve always called it an Italian mimosa and when served on holidays we’ve never had any complaints either! Thank you and enjoy!
Thank you for sharing, Melissa!
I also vary mine by adding a shot of half and half and it makes it so smooth. There are still plenty of bubblies in the drink.