How to Make the Ultimate Mimosa Bar!

No matter what time of year it is, mimosas are always a great idea! Whether for a wedding or baby shower, celebration, or heck, even Sunday football, your brunch needs a mimosa! And we’re here to show you how to create the ultimate Mimosa Bar along with some fun ways to jazz up the average orange juice version.

As much as I’m a straight up champagne gal (and if you follow my Friday night Instagram posts you know sparkling wine is my favorite beverage in the world!), I also love a fresh fruit mimosa on a lazy weekend morning.

Most people think of brunch and mimosas as a spring thing or something for a wedding shower. But they don’t have to be! I’m on team brunch year-round, and you should be too. The fall season is a great way to use up the rest of your fresh fruit by turning it into a purée, or even indulge in a little apple cider mimosa. Whatever season it is, there are many ways to sway from that traditional orange juice mimosa. And why not make it a family friendly event and invite your friends (and the kids!) to your mimosa party?!

How to make the Ultimate Mimosa Bar

What you will need for your Mimosa Bar

• Sparkling Wine (Cava or Prosecco work well)
• Fruit juice
• Fruit, for garnish
• Herbs, optional garnish
• Champagne flutes
• Pitchers or containers for the fruit juice
• Bowls for garnishes
• Ice bucket
• Labels or signage for your juices
• Decorations
• Music (for ambiance!)

The Best Sparkling Wine for a Mimosa

First off, avoid true Champagne. While it’s my favorite, it’s also pricey (starting at around $40 per bottle) and best drunk without any fruit or puree. Want to know the difference between Champagne and sparkling wines made elsewhere? Start here. 

Instead opt for something in the $10-$15 range, and look for Cava from Spain or Prosecco from Italy. The later is my go-to, as there’s a nice fruitiness to the wine that will complement the fruit in the juice. 

Go for DRY! Your juices will add enough sweetness, so you don’t want to compete with that. On the label search for “BRUT” (which means dry). Avoid labels that say “extra dry” which actually means there’s residual sugar in the wine (aka sweeter). So Brut will be your best option.

How much sparkling wine or Champagne for a Mimosa?

• You can average about 6-8 mimosas per 750 bottle of sparkling wine, depending on your ratio. I don’t like mine too sweet, so I’m more of a 2 parts sparkling to 1 part juice fan (sometimes even 3 parts bubbly to 1 part juice).
• Others may opt for more of an equal ratio of 50/50.
• For a party of 10, it’s safe to plan on about 3-5 bottles.
• And for a party of 20, plan on about 6-8 bottles.
• Any more than that plan on about 1 bottle for every 3 people.  (Knowing your guests are likely going to have more than one.)

Juice ideas for your Mimosa

Well, you’ve gotta have some classic orange juice. But if you can, try to use fresh squeezed orange juice for the best and freshest flavor. If you need to buy it, go for one that contains pulp as it’s closer to fresh squeezed that way.

For other fruit juice options, go with what’s in season. Late summer mimosas are amazing with fresh peach purée (Bellini) or even watermelon. Just purée your preferred fruit and you’ve got yourself the perfect juices for your mimosa.

To make a Puree:

Take your fresh fruit, peel any outside skin and remove any cores, and mix in a blender until liquefied. This is more of a Bellini style since the fruit is puréed and thicker than store bought juice. But these are so much more delicious (in my book) than thinner store bought juices.

Aim for 4-6 different juices for variety.  

 

Some of my favorite juices and purées for Mimosas or Bellinis:

• Orange juice
• Peach purée
• Mango purée
• Pineapple purée
• Watermelon purée
• Blackberry juice
• Strawberry purée
• Pomegranate juice
• Grapefruit juice
• Apple Cider (especially fresh fall apple cider!)

Mix them up!

Encourage your guests to experiment with different combinations and garnishes.

Try a couple different flavors together (I love peach pineapple).

Add some herbs (like blackberry with a sprig of fresh mint).

Make it Family Friendly and non-alcoholic

Instead of sparkling wine use club soda (or plain La Croix). The kids go crazy for these! Let them have fun and make their own flavor combinations.

Decorate your Mimosa Bar!

• For décor, use props that are probably already in your house! I use a coffee tray turned upside down for adding levels, flowers and lavender from the garden, and pitchers I have stored away.
• Use small pitchers or containers for juice (I love these ones!).
• Mix and match your flutes. You can go with a standard flute or stemless.
• Mix and match mason jars for the garnishes.
• Let the kids drink from mason jars too (much safer than champagne flutes).
• Write instructions on a chalkboard.

Cheers!

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