Mimosa Mayhem!
Mimosas and Bloody Marys duke it out every weekend in bars, restaurants and homes across the world. In our home, one of us prefers the sparkle of a Mimosa, while the other one prefers the tang of the spiciest Blood Mary he can find.
Traditionally made with orange juice, we are advocating you mix up Mimosas by topping something sparkly with a different kind of juice. We also want to pass along our advice for which bubbly to use.
The classic recipe for a Mimosa is equal parts sparkling wine and orange juice. We advise pouring the bubbles into flute-champagne glasses about halfway up the glass. Then top with the juice. This allows the juice to swirl with the bubbles. This ratio should be managed to taste. If we're serving a dozen people, we're likely to be a little more conservative with the sparkling wine. Some traditions call for a splash of Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur. We occasionally do this, especially if we're substituting a juice other than orange. It just offers a little more complex layer of flavor.
SPARKLES-
A delicious Mimosa can be made with any sparkling wine. Our favorite is Cava- Cristalino, Korbel, or Freixenet; it has the buzz of strong bubbles, and adds a bit of tasty dry wine musk to the drink. Adding high-end champagne makes little sense to us because you're diluting the flavor you're paying for. And though Prosecco is an option, they can vary widely in sweetness and bubble factor. If you spend more than around the $10 mark for sparkling wine for Mimosas, you're wasting your time. We've also mixed up the color of wine from time to time by adding a sparkling Shiraz or bubbly Rosé.
MIX UP THE JUICE-
In a pinch we will take the traditional route and use orange juice from a store-purchased container. Though here are some suggestions for adding a little creative flair-
FRESH SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE. If you've only tried prepared juice from a carton, try using fresh squeezed. The freshness of this blend really amps up the flavor. It tends to be a little less sweet, and we find it allows the flavor of the sparkle to boost the citrus element.
SOME OTHER CITRUS JUICE. Grapefruit or Blood Orange juice will change the color and taste of a traditional mimosa. Both fruits tend to be less sweet than orange juice, so we'll often add a splash of orange liqueur after adding the juice to the bubbles. Or even make your own blend of fresh squeezed citrus juice, combining your favorite flavors and colors.
CRANBERRY JUICE. It makes for such a beautiful look and the dry flavor of cranberry, offset with a splash of Grand Marnier, is pretty much heaven with a sparkly Cava.
PEAR NECTAR. We find prepared pear nectar by Goya in our Latin food grocery aisle. Replacing the orange juice with pear offers a more hearty mouthfill to a traditional Mimosa. We've also added a splash of Amaretto to enhance the nutty flavor of the pear. This may be a drink someone else has named more creatively, but we just call them Pear Mimosas.
With any juice, now that you've gone this far. Advertise the contents of your mimosa to your guests by garnishing the flute with a slice of fresh fruit reflected in your recipe. A small slice of orange can be perfect for any flavor combination, if not grapefruit or pear.
And remember- there are no rules when you customize a drink, and an amped up mimosa can be the perfect launch to a delicious brunch. Try one of these less traditional options to mix up a batch this weekend!
