You Might Be Pouring A Mimosa In The Wrong Order

Mimosas are a quintessential brunchtime beverage best served bottomless. All you need is a bottle of champagne and a few drops of your favorite orange juice to make the classic cocktail. However, this bubbly beverage requires a specific pouring method in order to create the tastiest mimosa possible. Ronnie Ruffalo, the co-owner and director of Food and Beverage at Disco Pancake, shared his insight on proper mimosa etiquette with Food Republic, including which order to pour our ingredients for optimal results. "Champagne cocktails should be made fresh to preserve the bubbles. Pour the champagne first, then the orange juice." 

According to the expert, the champagne cocktail may fizzle a bit too much if the orange juice is poured first, causing the mimosa contents to bubble up and overflow. Alternatively, pouring orange juice after your champagne will allow for natural mixing. No matter what, you definitely want to avoid stirring the cocktail, as this can flatten the carbonation present in the sparkling wine. A bubble-less bubbly won't pack nearly the same burst of flavor while you sip it, so it's best to follow the correct pouring order while mixing mimosas. And of course, for those who prefer a whisper of orange in their mimosas, this will also allow you to control your preferred ratio of champagne to juice.

The simplicity of a mimosa makes it a great at-home beverage that you can quickly whip up for guests without worrying about too many additional mix-ins. However, mimosas are not the type of cocktail that you can pre-make days before your event. When you want to offer your guests a batch of bottomless cocktails at your next brunch party, don't add champagne until the last second. Expert Ronnie Ruffalo told Food Republic, "If pre-batching is necessary, mix the juice and other ingredients in advance but wait to add the champagne until just before serving."

This doesn't mean you cannot offer a premixed mimosa to guests, it just means that timing is everything. It is recommended that all your ingredients are separately chilled prior to crafting a batch cocktail. If you squeeze your own orange juice, prepare your juice the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight next to your bottles of bubbly. Just before your party begins, add your champagne to a pitcher, followed by your juice mixture — and remember not to stir.