Mimosa Recipe for Brunch

Before you start

A mimosa is sparkling wine and orange juice, nothing more, so both need to be good and both need to be cold. Many people pour equal parts, which gives a juicy, low-alcohol drink. A ratio of about three parts wine to two parts juice keeps the bubbles more noticeable and lets the wine taste like wine. Either is correct; it comes down to how fruity you want it.

The practical decisions are which juice and which bubbles. Pulp-free orange juice gives a cleaner, livelier drink; pulp catches bubbles and makes foam. A dry, inexpensive sparkling wine is ideal, because the juice hides subtle Champagne character. Pour the wine first and the juice second, and do not stir, so the drink keeps its fizz.

Ingredients

• 90 ml (3 oz) dry sparkling wine — cava, prosecco or brut sparkling wine, well chilled
• 60 ml (2 oz) orange juice — pulp-free, well chilled; use 75 ml of each for an equal-parts mimosa
• 1 thin slice orange — optional garnish

Method

1. Chill the sparkling wine and the orange juice for several hours, ideally overnight. Mimosas are served without ice, so cold ingredients are essential.
2. Tilt the flute and pour the sparkling wine gently down the inside of the glass to about three-fifths full.
3. Wait a few seconds for the foam to settle, then slowly top up with the orange juice. The juice is heavier and will mix itself as it sinks.
4. Skip the stir. If the color looks streaky, give the glass a very gentle swirl instead.
5. Hang an orange slice on the rim if you like and serve at once.

Tips for success

• Strain pulpy juice through a fine sieve. Pulp gives bubbles something to cling to and makes the drink foam over.
• For a crowd, set out the wine and juice in ice buckets and let guests build their own at the ratio they prefer.
• Use a dry style labelled brut. Sweeter sparkling wines plus sweet juice make a cloying drink.

Substitutions

Orange juice

Blood orange juice is tarter and turns the drink deep red. Grapefruit juice makes a sharper, more bitter drink. Pineapple or mango juice is sweeter and thicker.

Sparkling wine

Champagne adds toasty, yeasty notes, though most are lost in the juice. Non-alcoholic sparkling wine or sparkling water makes a drink suitable for anyone not drinking alcohol.

Variations

Bellini-style

Use 30 ml white peach purée instead of orange juice and top with prosecco.

Grand mimosa

Add 10 ml orange liqueur to the flute before the wine for a stronger, more orange-forward drink.

Troubleshooting

The flute foams over

The juice went in first or too quickly. Pour wine first into a tilted glass, and add the juice slowly.

It tastes flat

The wine was opened too early or was warm. Open a cold bottle just before serving and keep it in an ice bucket between pours.

Too sweet

Increase the wine to juice ratio, use a brut wine, or add a small squeeze of lemon to the juice.

Storage

Serve immediately. Keep opened sparkling wine sealed with a stopper in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. Refrigerate orange juice and do not leave it out for more than 2 hours.

Safety notes

Contains about 90 ml of 12% sparkling wine, roughly 0.6 U.S. standard drinks. Fresh-squeezed, unpasteurized juice can carry harmful bacteria; pasteurized juice is the safer choice for vulnerable guests. Serve only to adults of legal drinking age and never drink and drive.