Font Resize3 ounces sparkling wine (see note)
2 ounces Odwalla tangerine juice
1/4 ounce Stirrings authentic grenadine
Combine wine and juice in glass or nonreactive metal container and stir to combine. When fizz has dissipated, transfer to a chilled champagne flute. Add grenadine and let sink to bottom.
Raise a toast the royal families of the Windsors (Britain), the Bernadottes (Sweden), the Bourbons (Spain) and the Bragancas (Portugal) - all former guests of fabulous Ritz hotel in Paris. Remember to complain about the price.
Note: Any good-quality dry sparkling will work fine.
"Hey Jeff, did you hear?" said the stocking-capped regular as he made ready to sit down at the bar.
I had to wait for him to doff a scarf, jacket and finally, stocking cap, before we got to the news.
"2009 is the year of the mimosa."
I hadn't heard that, but even though the dead of winter is the worst time for most citrus fruits, we were going to have to do something about it. The common orange itself is out of season, but its cousins, the tangerine and the blood orange, are readily available. I whipped up a mimosa as best I could with what was available, tangerine juice, and set it down in front of him.
"Eight dollars."
"Eight dollars?" he exclaimed. "Who do you guys think you are? The Ritz?"
How ironic. The mimosa, of course, is reputed to have been invented in 1925 at the Paris Ritz - one of the most famous hotels in the world and perhaps the most
Much credit for the mimosa is given to the Ritz's legendary barman Frank Meier, who was the head bartender at the Paris Ritz's Camdon Bar from 1921 until 1947. Meier's book, "The Artistry of Mixing Drinks," mentions the mimosa (champagne orange) but he takes no credit for it's invention. Was he just being modest?
As with much cocktail history, "cocktail invention" is highly subjective. The Ritz's 1925 mimosa bears an uncanny similarity to the Buck's Fizz, which was invented in 1921 in London at the famous American-style bar at the Buck's Club. There, head barman Pat (or Malachy) McGarry was the first to be credited with combining champagne and orange juice. McGarry is also known as the inventor of the classic Sidecar. In the interest of clarity it is important to note that older recipes for the Buck's Fizz often include grenadine as well orange juice and champagne.
Meier's mimosa is supposed to have received its name from its color, which resembles the yellow "sparkly" flowers of the mimosa plant. Interestingly, the origin of the flower's name, mimosacea, comes from the word "mimic," because the plant leaves are supposed to mimic animal behavior by moving from slight impulses, or partly closing when touched. All of which makes me wonder if Mr. Meier knew that when he named his drink.
When making mimosas, the most important thing is the juice. Good-quality citrus juice makes for a superior cocktail. Fresh squeezed is the best, but if you don't have the time (or lack the initiative), then "fresh-squeezed" juice like Odwalla tangerine is an excellent substitute. Remember when mixing fresh citrus juice with sparkling wine that some froth is to be anticipated; mixing them in a glass or metal container and then transferring the drink to its serving glass yields a much more pleasing presentation and also takes less time (frothed champagne can take some time to settle down). Almost any decent dry sparkling wine will make a great mimosa if combined with good quality juice. Save your top-shelf champagne for something else.
After spending a night of whipping up mimosas and mentioning the "year of the mimosa" over and over, I went home and did research. As it turns out, 2009 is not the "year of the mimosa" - 2009 is the year of mimosa, the color, as determined by the Pantone Color Institute. "Yellow is the color of change, of hopefulness, of warmth and of good cheer," says Leatrice Eiseman, its executive director.
Well, that changes everything doesn't it? In light of this experience I leave you with several thoughts:
- Don't believe everything you hear in a bar.
- Sunday brunch at the Ritz in Paris will put you back 105 euros (or about $132, not including champagne, tax or tip). Furthermore the cheapest sparkling wine at the Ritz in San Francisco is $12, meaning that your mimosa is probably going to be a little bit more than that.
- Prince Philip, the duke of Edinburgh (and husband to Queen Elizabeth II) once remarked; "Champagne and orange juice is a great drink. The orange improves the champagne, and the champagne definitely improves the orange."
- Always do your research before opening your mouth.
Jeff Burkhart is an award-winning bartender at a Marin bar/restaurant and an author. His columns appear weekly in Here. Contact him at jeffb@thebarflyonline.com.
