The Ultimate Mimosa

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We're still doing a bit of re-organizing and planning around here. Not having the energy to cook is getting tiresome; I'm over naan pizza's and black bean burritos. Though, I did test out a new lemon meringue pie recipe (awesome sauce!) over the weekend, so I should be back to cooking like a feign very soon.

Instead of cooking elaborate dishes, I've been going through my little box of recipes, pulling out some of the simple ones that are always requested. Those lucky enough to have been served one of my mimosas typically remark how fresh and delicious they are. It's on purpose.

You might find this weird, but I’m not a big champagne fan. I figure it’s because most champagne or sparkling wine is made from pinot noir grapes, and well, I’m not a pinot noir fan. Every now and then, I find myself craving a mimosa for brunch, especially when I’ve made some grand feast that will be ruined by bitter coffee.

When I lived in Los Angeles, a bartender at my neighborhood watering hole made the most delicious mimosa’s I’d ever had in my life. For months, I figured he was using some special, hard to find champagne and fresh pressed orange juice. Have you ever noticed how orange juice you enjoy in a bar can either be the most amazing or worst you’ve ever had? Before I moved, I begged him for his secret recipe because every time I made mimosa’s at home, they never tasted the same. The secret had nothing to do with the juice or the champagne he used—Cointreau was what I had been missing in my at home attempts. 

With Valentine's Day coming up, some people are all about putting together the most romantic breakfast or brunch ever and what is more romantic than sparkling wine? Some people get lazy and simply think you can add some orange juice or orange sorbet to a champagne flute and have a quality mimosa. Well, if your standards for mimosas are high, then you'll know just mixing the two together leaves you... wanting more?

Ingredients

  • 1 cup orange juice, preferably fresh and chilled

  • 6 tablespoons cointreau or another orange liqueur

  • 1 bottle champagne or sparkling wine, chilled

  • orange slices for garnish

Directions:

Pour 3 tablespoons orange juice and 1 tablespoon cointreau into chilled champagne flute or wine glass. Slowly fill the flute or glass with champagne. Garnish each glass with an orange slice—serve and enjoy!

 

Tools:

6 Champagne flutes or wine glasses, chilled in freezer

chef’s knife