A mimosa is two ingredients: chilled sparkling wine and cold orange juice. The textbook version is equal parts. Most American brunches pour it stronger, two parts bubbly to one part juice. Use a Brut Prosecco, because the orange juice already brings the sweetness.
That’s the whole recipe. Everything below is about making it better than the one you had at that brunch place with the bottomless deal and the 45-minute wait.
The recipe
One mimosa (classic, equal parts)
- 3 oz (90 mL) Prosecco Brut, well chilled
- 3 oz (90 mL) cold orange juice, fresh-squeezed or not-from-concentrate
One mimosa (brunch style, 2:1)
- 4 oz (120 mL) Prosecco Brut
- 2 oz (60 mL) orange juice
Method
- Chill everything: the bottle, the juice, ideally the flutes too.
- Tilt the flute and pour the Prosecco first, slowly, down the side.
- Top with the orange juice. The juice is heavier, so it mixes on its way down.
- If you stir at all, do it once, gently. You paid for those bubbles.
Bartenders argue about pour order. Juice-first gives you less foam; wine-first gives you a livelier drink. We pour the Prosecco first. Either way, warm ingredients are the real enemy.
How many mimosas in a bottle of Prosecco?
A standard 750 mL bottle holds about 25 ounces.
| Ratio | Prosecco per drink | Mimosas per bottle | Orange juice per bottle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equal parts (1:1) | 3 oz | about 8 | about 3 cups |
| Brunch style (2:1) | 4 oz | about 6 | about 1½ cups |
Planning a brunch? Most guests have two or three over a couple of hours. Our drinks calculator does the bottle math for any guest count.
Which Prosecco for mimosas?
Brut. Here’s the trap: the word “dry” on a sparkling wine label means sweeter, not drier. Extra Dry Prosecco carries more sugar than Brut (12 to 17 grams per liter, against up to 12 for Brut). Add orange juice to an Extra Dry and you’re halfway to dessert. Brut keeps the drink bright.
Prosecco also suits orange juice better than you’d expect. Its green apple and pear notes sit happily next to citrus, while the toasty, bready notes people pay extra for in Champagne mostly disappear under the juice anyway. Save the Champagne for drinking on its own.
Our own Bella Principessa Prosecco DOC works well here. So does Bella Principessa Prosecco DOC Rosé, for a pink mimosa with a hint of red berry.
Mimosas for a crowd
Don’t mix a pitcher ahead of time. The bubbles leave long before the guests arrive. Instead:
- Chill the juice in a carafe and the bottles in an ice bucket (about 15 minutes in ice and water does it).
- Set out flutes and let people pour their own ratio. The 2:1 people and the 1:1 people will find each other.
- If you must use a pitcher, add the Prosecco at the last moment and serve it within minutes.
Easy variations
- Rosé mimosa: Prosecco Rosé Brut with orange or blood-orange juice.
- Grapefruit: swap in pink grapefruit juice for a sharper, less sweet drink.
- Pomegranate or cranberry: a holiday version; see our Christmas Prosecco cocktails.
- A splash of orange liqueur: ¼ oz Cointreau or triple sec deepens the orange.
- The Bellini: peach purée instead of orange juice. It’s a different drink with its own Venetian story; here’s how to make it.
- Alcohol-free: orange juice topped with chilled sparkling water or an alcohol-free sparkling wine. Put it out next to the real thing, in the same glasses.
Where the mimosa came from
The usual story credits Frank Meier at the Ritz Paris in the mid-1920s. The evidence is thinner than the legend: Meier printed a “Mimosa” in his 1936 bar book but didn’t mark it as his own creation, and an earlier Ritz mention dates to 1923. London’s Buck’s Club claims the Buck’s Fizz from around 1921, a close cousin made with more Champagne and less juice. The name comes from the yellow mimosa flower, which the drink resembles.
Mimosa questions
What is in a mimosa? Sparkling wine and orange juice. Nothing else is required.
What’s the best ratio? Equal parts is classic; 2:1 Prosecco to juice is the popular brunch pour.
How strong is a mimosa? With Prosecco at 11% alcohol, an equal-parts mimosa is roughly 5 to 6% alcohol, about the strength of a beer. The brunch-style pour is stronger. The mimosa’s great trick is that it looks like orange juice, which is why nobody at brunch counts them. Count them anyway.
Can I use Champagne or cava? Yes. Any dry (Brut) sparkling wine works. Prosecco is the fruitiest and usually the best value.
Please enjoy responsibly: 21+ only, and plan a safe way home.
