A mimosa cocktail consists of

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

(or other

sparkling wine Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While the phrase commonly refers to champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that term for products exclusively produced in the Champagne regi ...

) and chilled citrus juice, usually

orange juice Orange juice is a liquid extract of the orange tree fruit, produced by squeezing or reaming oranges. It comes in several different varieties, including blood orange, navel oranges, valencia orange, clementine, and tangerine. As well as vari ...

. It is often served in a tall

champagne flute A champagne glass is stemware designed for champagne and other sparkling wines. The two most common forms are the flute and coupe, both stemmed; holding the glass by the stem prevents warming the drink. Champagne can also be drunk from a normal ...

brunch Brunch is a meal eaten between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., sometimes accompanied by alcoholic drinks (typically champagne or a cocktail). The meal originated in the British hunt breakfast. The word ''brunch'' is a portmanteau of '' breakfast'' ...

, at weddings, or as part of business or first class service on some passenger railways and airlines. The mixing ratio varies.

History

The cocktail is named after the yellow-flowered mimosa plant, ''

Acacia dealbata ''Acacia dealbata'', the silver wattle, blue wattle or mimosa, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae, native to southeastern Australia in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory, and widel ...

''. The origin of the cocktail is unclear, and was originally called a "champagne orange". Some credit the

Paris Ritz Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

's bartender and cocktail writer Frank Meier for making the mimosa cocktail; however, Meier's 1934 book on mixing drinks, which has a special symbol for his inventions, does not use it for the mimosa. The mimosa can be considered as a variant of the cocktail called Buck's Fizz, or vice-versa. The

International Bartenders Association The International Bartenders Association (IBA), founded on 24 February 1951 in the saloon of the Grand Hotel in Torquay, England, is an international organisation established in order to represent the best bartenders in the world. An annual e ...

simply says the mimosa is "Also known as Buck’s Fizz". The mimosa became popular in the United States in the 1960s. A news article published in the '' Sydney Morning Herald'' wrote about Queen Elizabeth II drinking a mimosa, introduced to her by

Earl Mountbatten of Burma Earl Mountbatten of Burma is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 28 October 1947 for Rear Admiral Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma. The letters patent creating the title specified the following r ...

after his visit to the

south of France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', A ...

Variations

Buck's Fizz is essentially the same cocktail, said to have been invented in 1921 in London. Some sources draw a distinction, saying the Buck's Fizz specifically uses twice as much champagne as orange juice while the mimosa should use equal proportions, that a Buck's Fizz should be served without ice and a mimosa should include ice, or that a Buck's Fizz should be served in a flute or

coupe A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

and a mimosa should be served in an ordinary

wine glass A wine glass is a type of glass that is used to drink and taste wine. Most wine glasses are stemware (goblets), i.e., they are composed of three parts: the bowl, stem, and foot. Shapes The effect of glass shape on the taste of wine has not been ...

. However, some sources give instructions for making mimosas that clearly do not fit these characterizations. Other ingredients are sometimes added, such as

Grand Marnier Grand Marnier () is a French brand of liqueurs. The brand's best-known product is Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, an orange-flavored liqueur created in 1880 by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. It is made from a blend of Cognac brandy, distilled esse ...

orange bitters Orange bitters is a form of bitters, a cocktail flavoring made from such ingredients as the peels of Seville oranges, cardamom, caraway seed, coriander, anise, and burnt sugar in an alcohol base. Orange bitters, which are not to be confused with ...

. The '' poinsettia'' is cranberry juice with champagne (sometimes with

vodka Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuriti ...

and/or

Cointreau Cointreau (, , ) is a brand of orange-flavoured triple sec liqueur produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, France. It is consumed as an apéritif and digestif, and is a component of several well-known cocktails. It was originally called Curaça ...

). The ''lemosa'' is lemonade with champagne, with a small amount of blueberry syrup. The ''Vermosa'' is apple cider with champagne, notably served in Vermont, United States. Apple cider with champagne and brandy is called an ''apple crisp''. The ''flirtini'' is made with pineapple juice, champagne and vodka. The ''megmosa'' is a similar type of cocktail, composed of equal parts champagne and grapefruit juice. The ''sherbet mimosa'' consists of champagne and a scoop of sherbet, instead of orange juice. The ''lychee rose mimosa'' consists of champagne with lychee and rosewater. The ''Hawaiian mimosa'' consists of rum, champagne, pineapple juice, orange juice, and cherry juice.

Popular culture

''National Mimosa Day'' is an unofficial holiday observed on May 16.

References

{{Wine cocktails Cocktails with Champagne Cocktails with orange juice Cocktails with Prosecco