The Mimosa recipe
for your table
Chill the bubbles, juice and glasses thoroughly beforehand.
Pour the orange juice into the flute first.
Slowly top up with the bubbles to prevent excessive foaming.
Stir little or not at all and serve immediately.
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The story
The Mimosa is said to have been invented in 1925 by Frank Meier, bartender at the Ritz in Paris, who named it after the yellow-flowering mimosa plant on the French Riviera. To be fair, London's 'Buck's Fizz' had already existed for four years, with more champagne and less juice. The difference is a matter of proportions, and of continent. Through American brunch culture in the 1980s, the Mimosa became a worldwide morning institution, including 'bottomless mimosas' on Sunday mornings.
The right glass
Serve the Mimosa in a flute: the tall, narrow champagne glass keeps the bubbles for the longest and instantly creates a festive look on the brunch table. Choose a flute from 21 to 26 cl. Serving larger brunches? Then a set of sturdy, dishwasher-safe flutes is worth its weight in gold. Our Mimosa category brings together the most suitable models. For individual flutes for a larger brunch table, visit our champagne flute glasses.
Bormioli Rocco Tre Sensi Champagne Glass / Flute 21 cl (6 pieces)
Bohemia Colibri Champagne Glass / Flute 22 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 61,90.
The right tools
For a Mimosa, alongside the glass, you use a mixing glass, a bar spoon for stirring, a jigger for precise measuring, a Julep strainer, and a citrus juicer. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find them all in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 101,70.
What do you make a Mimosa with?
For a Mimosa, you need champagne and prosecco. Well-known bottles include Grand Marnier and Taittinger. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glassware you need.
Variations & twists
Buck’s Fizz, with two parts sparkling wine to one part juice, is the British, drier cousin. With blood orange, it turns deep red; with grapefruit, it becomes refreshingly bitter. A drop of orange blossom water or a splash of Grand Marnier turns the brunch classic into an evening cocktail. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
The classic ratio is 1:1, but no one is checking. More sparkling wine makes it drier and more festive. Freshly squeezed juice is non-negotiable: it makes up half of your cocktail.
Good to know
The ratio: 1:1 or Buck’s Fizz
The classic recipe uses equal parts: 7.5 cl sparkling wine and 7.5 cl fresh orange juice. For a drier, more festive drink, use two parts sparkling wine to one part juice; in effect, you’re drinking a Buck’s Fizz, the British variation from 1921. You can also do the reverse: more juice makes it softer and more suitable for early morning. Measure the ingredients the first time with a measuring cup, because it’s easy to misjudge the volume in a narrow flute. After that, you’ll know exactly where your preference lies.
Mimosa for brunch from a pitcher
For six guests, plan on about one 75 cl bottle of bubbly and one liter of fresh orange juice; that yields around twelve 15 cl glasses. Juice the oranges the night before and refrigerate it together with the bottles for at least four hours, because warm ingredients make the mousse disappear immediately. Pour the juice into a carafe in advance and let guests top up their own glasses with bubbly, so nobody gets a flat mimosa. Put out a dish of orange slices alongside it and the brunch table is complete.
Alcohol-free mimosa with 0.0 bubbly
Since this cocktail has only two ingredients, the 0.0 version succeeds or fails based on the bubbly. Choose an alcohol-free sparkling wine made from grapes instead of carbonated apple juice; otherwise, the whole thing will be too sweet alongside the orange juice. Keep the same 7.5 cl to 7.5 cl ratio and chill everything to around four degrees. A few drops of lemon juice will balance out the sweetness if the bottle turns out sweeter than expected. Serve it in the same flute, because the pouring ritual does the rest for the experience.
Prosecco, cava, or champagne
All three work, provided the bottle is dry: look for the designation brut or extra brut on the label. Prosecco is the softest and most fruity, cava has a little more bite and is often the best buy in this price range, while champagne brings bread and yeast notes that are largely lost alongside orange juice. For a brunch with eight people, a good cava costing around ten euros is more sensible than a bottle of champagne that you dilute by half with juice. Save the champagne for the glass you serve neat.
What exactly is a mimosa drink?
A Mimosa is nothing more than well-chilled bubbly and freshly squeezed orange juice in equal parts, poured into a flute. Since nothing else goes into it, the Mimosa cocktail succeeds or fails based on the quality of that juice. Navel oranges are sweeter and yield less juice than juicing oranges, so buy the latter for a brunch. Strain the juice if you would rather not have strands of pulp in your glass; without pulp, the foam stays neater and the color looks more even. Keep it covered and chilled until it is time to pour.
How to make a mimosa with fresh juice
Count on one to two oranges per glass, depending on their size, and squeeze them over a strainer so the seeds are left behind. The right Mimosa ratio also depends on the juice: sweet juice calls for slightly more bubbles, while tart juice needs a little less. Add the bubbles in two batches; the foam settles in between, leaving room for more in the flute. If you want an extra aromatic note, squeeze a strip of orange zest over the glass before serving.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Mimosa?
A Mimosa consists of two equal parts: 7.5 cl of well-chilled prosecco, cava or champagne and 7.5 cl of freshly squeezed orange juice, optionally finished with a little orange zest. That's all there is to it, which is precisely why the quality of your juice matters: it makes up half of the cocktail.
What is the correct ratio for a Mimosa?
The classic ratio is 1:1, meaning equal parts bubbles and orange juice. For a drier, more festive drink, use two parts bubbles to one part juice; this is essentially the British Buck's Fizz. Always pour the juice in first, then slowly top up with the bubbles to prevent excessive foaming.
Which glass do you use for a Mimosa?
A champagne flute holding 21 to 26 cl works best: tall and narrow, allowing the bubbles to last longer and keeping the cocktail cold. Chill the glasses in advance and serve immediately after pouring. For a larger brunch, choose sturdy, dishwasher-safe flutes; see our Mimosa glasses.
Can you make a Mimosa alcohol-free?
Yes. Replace the prosecco with alcohol-free sparkling wine or 0.0 bubbles and maintain a 1:1 ratio with fresh orange juice. Chill everything well in advance, pour the juice into the glass first, then top up slowly so the foam does not spill over the rim.
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