The Best Mimosa Recipe
Ginny McMeans
Published:
April 18, 2020
Last Modified:
August 4, 2025
Sweet, tangy orange juice and sparkling wine are a perfect pairing in this classic cocktail recipe. Fragrant orange slices add a pop of color to each glass, enhancing their appearance and giving you a little something to nibble on!
Mimosas are my go-to when it comes to entertaining. Sweet and versatile, these sunny cocktails are enjoyable any time of day! And did I mention, making them is easy peasy orange juice squeezy?
I want your parties to be just as simple as mine, so I’m sharing the basic recipe for a perfect mimosa that I always use. It is truly perfect as is–after all, this drink is a classic for good reason!
Sometimes I’m in the mood for a little variety though and I’ll set up a Mimosa Bar for my guests. Alternative garnishes, different juices, there are so many ways to change it up if you want to make things interesting.
Let’s start with the basics though–perfecting our classic mimosas–and then we’ll work our way through some Mimosa Bar ideas after. Cheers!
Mimosa Ingredients
- Orange juice – Using freshly squeezed OJ will take your mimosas from wonderful to WOW, so I strongly urge you to take the few extra minutes to get your juice on! I go for Valencia and Cara Cara oranges when I see them, as they both have excellent flavor and yield. Navel oranges are more common and they work great too.
- Sparkling wine – No need to use an expensive bottle of champagne for mimosas, unless of course you want to! Any dry or semi dry sparkling wines work, such as Prosecco–my fave!–or Cava. Generally speaking, 1 bottle will make about 6 cocktails
- Orange slices – Just the thing to garnish your drinks. You can use orange slices or small orange wedges, just use a sharp knife to make a small slit in each piece so that it can slide onto the rim of the glass.
Mimosa Bar Ideas
The basic mimosa recipe above is completely perfect as it is, but if you want to set out a fun spread for a special occasion, here are a few tips for creating a vibrant Mimosa Bar.
Try Different Juices
- Mango juice has the most vibrant color.
- Pineapple juice is sweet and gives a tropical vibe.
- Peach juice is turning a little orange and has a unique flavor.
- Raspberry-lemonade tastes so good on its own and makes a really delicious and pretty mimosa.
- Blood orange juice has a very deep reddish-orange color and it thins out nicely with sparkling wine.
- A splash of cranberry in a classic orange mimosa is super complementary to the orange flavor.
- Grape Juice is deep purple and delicious for a Prosecco Mimosa.
Mimosa Bar Setup
- Pour your juices into glass bottles so guests can clearly see what they are.
- Use an ice bucket to store the sparkling wine–keeping that bottle cold is key!
- Glassware can be mixed varieties or all one kind such as flutes (as are shown in these photos), stemless flutes, shaped flutes, and flared flutes.
- Spread coasters around strategically and stack a few on the bar.
- Fresh fruit garnishes are a must! You can use orange quarters with many different fruit mimosas. Strawberries are nice too. A few blueberries sprinkled in the bottom of a purple/red mimosa is petty too.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Pour sparkling wine. Slowly pour sparkling wine into a champagne flute, just until the glass is about half full. Take care to pour nice and slowly to keep as many of those bubbles intact as possible!
- Add orange juice. Pour chilled orange juice into the glass with the sparkling wine.
- Garnish. Slide a slice of orange onto the rim of your wine glass. I like to cut my oranges into small triangles as you can see, but you can do half-moons or full rounds if your orange is on the smaller side!
- Repeat and serve. Continue filling and garnishing the other champagne flutes as needed. I recommend making each drink as you need it. Mimosas are at their best when sipped on right away!
Watch Us Make The Best Mimosa Recipe
How To Store
Refrigerating Mimosas don’t keep all that well, so I advise making only as many cocktails as you and your guests plan to drink. If you’ve ever had “bottomless mimosas” at a brunch outing, you already know how that pitcher of mimosas quickly loses its bubbly effervescence!
If you have leftover sparkling wine or orange juice, seal the bottles tightly and refrigerate them. You can use a sparkling wine stopper to help keep the bubbles in your champagne, but even so, it is best consumed within a couple of days.
Freezing I don’t recommend freezing sparkling wine, however you can freeze OJ! I recommend freezing it in ice cube trays to make it nice and easy to pop out as much as you need. Once the cubes are frozen you can transfer them to a freezer-safe zip top bag.
The Best Mimosa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bottle (750 mL) dry sparkling wine, like Prosecco or Cava
- 3-4 cups chilled orange juice
- orange slices, for garnish
Instructions
- Slowly pour sparkling wine into a champagne flute, just until the glass is about half full. Take care to pour nice and slowly to keep as many of those bubbles intact as possible!
- Pour chilled orange juice into the glass with the sparkling wine.
- Slice a few pieces of orange for garnish. You can use triangles, half moons, or full rounds depending on your preference then use a knife to cut a small slit in each slice of fruit so that it can slip onto the rim of the glassware.
- Continue filling and garnishing the other champagne flutes as needed. I recommend making each drink as you need it as mimosas are at their best when sipped on right away!
