Amimosa cocktail consists of champagne (or other sparkling wine) and chilled citrus juice, usually orange juice. It is often served in a tall champagne flute at festive occasions such as brunch, weddings, or as part of business or first class service on some passenger railways and airlines.[1] The mixing ratio varies.[2][3]
| IBA official cocktail | |
|---|---|
Two mimosas
| |
| Type | Wine cocktail |
| Base spirit | |
| Served | Straight up: chilled, without ice |
| Standard garnish | Orange twist |
| Standard drinkware |  |
| IBA specified ingredients† |
|
| Preparation | Ensure both ingredients are well chilled, then mix into the glass. Serve cold. |
| † Mimosa recipeatInternational Bartenders Association | |
The cocktail is named after the yellow-flowered mimosa plant, Acacia dealbata.[4] The origin of the cocktail is unclear, and was originally called a "champagne orange".[5] Some credit the Paris Ritz'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.[5] The mimosa can be considered as a variant of the cocktail Buck's Fizz, or vice-versa; Buck's Fizz appears to date from 1921.[5][6] The International Bartenders Association simply says the mimosa is "Also known as Buck’s Fizz".[7] The mimosa became popular in the United States in the 1960s.[5] 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 after his visit to the south of France.[5]
Buck's Fizz is essentially the same cocktail,[5][7] said to have been invented in 1921 in London.[6][8] 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 fluteorcoupe and a mimosa should be served in an ordinary wine glass.[8] However, some sources give instructions for making mimosas that clearly do not fit these characterizations.[3]
Other ingredients are sometimes added, such as Grand Marnierororange bitters.[3]
The poinsettia is cranberry juice with champagne (sometimes with vodka and/or Cointreau).
The lemosa is lemonade with champagne, with a small amount of blueberry syrup.[9]
The Vermosaisapple cider with champagne, notably served in Vermont, United States.[10] Apple cider with champagne and brandy is called an apple crisp.[11]
The flirtini is made with pineapple juice, champagne and vodka.[12]
The megmosa[13][14] is a similar type of cocktail, composed of equal parts champagne and grapefruit juice.
The sherbet mimosa[15] consists of champagne and a scoop of sherbet, instead of orange juice.
The lychee rose mimosa[15] consists of champagne with lychee and rosewater.
The Hawaiian mimosa[15] consists of rum, champagne, pineapple juice, orange juice, and cherry juice.
"National Mimosa Day" is an unofficial holiday observed on May 16 in the US.[16][17]
His 1934 cocktail book The Artistry Of Mixing Drinks includes the mimosa among its 300 recipes.... But Meier put a symbol—his initials inside a diamond—next to the cocktails he invented and there's no such mark next to the mimosa.