Fans of celebrating a holiday well without undue libations have long appreciated the benefits of cocktails. Delicious drinks that create an easy mood and do not lead to rapid intoxication, managed to enter our life somehow imperceptibly, but confidently. Many people have mastered the skills of an experienced bartender and started their own recipe book, which contains the compositions of their favorite drinks. Not the last place in it is the Mimosa cocktail. Absolutely light drink, perfectly matching the New Year or wedding mood, conquered lovers of cocktails and rightfully became an honorable element of the festive table.
Historical reference
Curiously, there is no exact information about the origin of the cocktail. The most popular version, according to which the Mimosa cocktail was invented and first introduced to the world by bartender Frank Meyer, who worked in 1925 in the bar of the Ritz Paris hotel. However, another intricate theory seems more interesting. It involves London-based bartender-chef Mack Harry, who came up with the lineup four years earlier in search of a way out of the impasse. The client asked for a Bellini cocktail, but there was no peach puree in the bar's assortment. Being smart, the bartender proposed an alternative in which oranges participated.
Maybe that is why in England the Mimosa cocktail is better known under the name Buck's Fiz. That was the name of the club served by inventive Mac Harry. In the rest of the world, he is still better known by the name of a flower, since he is very consistent with his shade. It is not surprising that the drink received such wide popularity. As you know, classic cocktails gain international recognition if they have a simple composition. In this regard, Mimosa can be considered unsurpassed. By tradition, it consists of only two components.
Mimosa cocktail: classic recipe
Orange juice and champagne merge in a cocktail glass. However, when preparing a cocktail, a number of conditions are required.
- Juice should be exclusively freshly squeezed. Fresh is done just before it is poured into a glass. Its replacement with juice from the package is not allowed.
- Champagne is taken semi-dry or brut. This is entirely justified: the sweetness of an orange should be softened by the acidity of the wine.
- Mimosa cocktail is served well chilled. To achieve the desired effect, either the components are placed in the refrigerator in advance, or ice cubes are placed in the glass. However, there is subtlety. When the glass becomes cool enough, the ice is removed from it. You can go the third way - it’s good to freeze the glass first.
If you believe the first version of the origin of the drink, then a few drops of citrus liquor, which is based on cognac, should also be added to the Mimosa cocktail. For example, Triple Sec. Fresh mint leaves, slices of orange and its peel are usually used for decoration. There is no objection to the thin sugar rim along the edge of the glass.
Variations of "Mimosa"
Favorite cocktail modified by the bartenders in a wide variety. Of the most famous variations, mention may be made of:
- Cream-cocktail "Mimosa". Two volumes of orange juice mix well with a half dose of fatter cream. At the end champagne is added. Its volume is equal to a portion of cream. The most harmonious decoration will be citrus - zest, peel or circles.
- "Mimosa" at Christmas. Champagne is poured twice as much as cranberry white juice. To decorate the glass, red-green sugar is used.
- Grapefruit smoothie. Here, orange juice just changes to grapefruit. The rest is in keeping with tradition.
In principle, the bartender can play with juices, as his taste and imagination tells him. No less successful is the Mimosa cocktail with champagne and pomegranate juice. Many have approved the pear version. But with the cherry filling, the drink somehow did not take root.
Non-alcoholic versions of the cocktail
Despite the fact that Mimosa is an adult drink, the younger generation can also offer it. Only in sober execution. Children really like Fauxmosa - a cocktail based on orange juice and lemon or lime pop. You can replace it with "Sprite" or "Fanta". But in the latter case, the taste of lemonade too merges with the taste of the citrus component.