Mimosas Beyond Oranges: Exploring 5 Summer-Fruit Infused Cocktail Varieties
A classic mimosa recipe brings together about 30 ml of a good quality, bubbly champagne with about 30 ml of orange juice in a mix of fizzy textures and tangy flavours. Such a mimosa is often finished off with a maraschino cherry or a strawberry garnish which introduces a summer-like feel into the cocktail concoction.
Mimosas which are a coming together of straightforward ingredients have for long been popularised as brunch time or lunchtime cocktails thus prepared for summer weather. However, while a classic mimosa is blended using pulpy orange or even clear, clarified orange juice, summertime variations of the cocktail open up a lot of mixology possibilities that incorporate different fruity and tropical flavours into the classic recipe.
This is because a number of fruits such as mangoes, watermelons, peaches and pineapples ripen and are readily available as infusion ingredients that introduce fresh flavours into cocktail concoctions. Mimosas in summer can then transcend the classical blend of orange juice and champagne to incorporate these diverse fruity, tangy and sweet flavour notes into concoctions prepared using varied sparkling wines for summertime gatherings.
Read on below to know more about some of the mimosa variations which go beyond oranges to include other summer fruits in the classic recipe:
Watermelon Mint Mimosa
Juicy and crispy, with a distinct aroma of its own, watermelon is available in abundance in summer weather. Prepare a mimosa variation using 30 ml freshly squeezed watermelon juice and 30 ml good quality sparkling wine or champagne. Muddle mint leaves in a cocktail shaker before adding the watermelon juice and champagne so that the herb would make for a peppery flavour contrast against the sweet notes of the tropical fruit and the tart and citrusy flavours of the sparkling wine.
Peach Bellini Mimosa
A peach mimosa is a fusion of a bellini-style cocktail with the sparkling qualities of champagne that gives the drink a fizzy texture. Add a splash of peach nectar or 15 ml of peach wine in a champagne flute to build this variation of the mimosa and top it off with 30 ml of good quality bubbly. Such a peach bellini-style mimosa is an excellent summertime cocktail alternative at a brunch or luncheon gathering.
Pineapple Ginger Mimosa
Infuse the mimosa recipe with the sweet and tangy qualities of fresh pineapples that are available readily, particularly in the tropics during summer weather. A spice whose earthy and robust flavours provide a sharp and effective flavour contrast to the sweetness of this tropical fruit is ginger. Muddle ginger shavings in a cocktail shaker with 30 ml pineapple juice and top it off with 30 ml champagne to craft a fruity and spicy version of the mimosa blend.
Mango Chilli Mimosa
In summers, different tropical flavours coming from ripened fruits can be introduced into mimosa recipes. And a little bit of a flavour twist to such a cocktail concoction comes in the form of a sprinkling of chilli powder which provides a contrast to the sweet and pulpy qualities of a fruit such as a ripe alphonso mango. Top this mango chilli mix with about 30 ml of sparkling wine or champagne to finish off the fizzy mimosa complete with a spicy and sweet tropical touch.
Citrus Sunset Mimosa
Going beyond oranges, other citrus flavours in the form of grapefruit juice and grenadine syrup do build into the tangy and acidic quintessential taste of a classic mimosa cocktail. Add about 30 ml champagne to build this citrus sunset mimosa which is complete with a grenadine float or grenadine syrup infusion and carries a blush pink colour that perfectly fits into the theme of a summertime brunch gathering.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
