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This easy Christmas Mimosa recipe is the ultimate holiday cocktail, combining the perfect balance of sweet and tart for a festive, refreshing drink that’s not overly sugary. Whether celebrating with a cozy Christmas brunch or raising a toast to the New Year, this holiday mimosa will surely become your go-to drink for every occasion.
With vibrant flavors and a touch of holiday cheer, this cocktail is the perfect way to add sparkle to your celebrations!
It’s also a great addition to any homemade mimosa bar or holiday cocktail party recipes using your favorite sparkling wine. Another great holiday mimosa is a Pomegranate Mimosa if you want a more tart and brighter flavor.
Table of Contents
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Sparkling Wine – You don’t need to run out and buy expensive sparkling wine or Champagne to make a good mimosa. Instead, look for bubbly under $20, including value North American wines, Prosecco from Italy, or Cava from Spain. Avoid any sweet sparkling wines, as we will be adding juice to give it that hint of sweetness. If you want to know the difference, check out our article on Champagne versus Prosecco for more information on sparkling wine.
- Juice – Look for plain cranberry juice, NOT those with added sugar or mixed with other juices. Always read the label. We then balance cranberry juice with a splash of orange juice to offset the tartness of the cranberry. If all you can find is cranberry juice mixes then you won’t need the orange juice.
- Garnish – See below for our favorite garnishes for this drink.
Recommended Tools
We recommend a good cocktail jigger or measuring tool so you can measure out the portions. It’s worth the investment if you like making cocktail recipes.
For stemware, we love the festive nature of old-school wine coupes designed for sparkling wine. But classic tall sparkling wine flutes works as well.
Christmas Mimosa Garnish Options
You can get as creative as you want with garnishes. I like the garnish color to stand out. It’s a holiday mimosa after all, so we’re sticking with classic red and green colors.
For something festive, try using a sprig of rosemary and skewer fresh cranberries onto the end of the sprig. The red and green are festive and make the Christmas Mimosa stand out.
Other Garnish Options:
- rosemary sprigs
- thyme sprigs
- pomegranate seeds
- fresh cranberries
- raspberries
It’s also very easy to prepare the garnish in advance so you can spend time socializing.
A sugar rim on the glass is another fun way to add flavor to your holiday mimosa. Use simple cane sugar, or seek out fancy sugars that are infused with herbs like lavender and rosemary.
How To Make A Christmas Mimosa
A mimosa is truly the easiest most foolproof cocktail to make. That’s why I love them so much! It’s as simple as grabbing your glass and starting with the juice. Then top with the sparkling wine. Add the garnish, and it’s ready to enjoy. That’s it!
If you do plan to add a sugar rim, be sure you do so before adding the liquids. Just place sugar on a flat plate. Then, take an orange or lime wedge and apply it to the edge (or lip) of the glasses. Gently rotate the edge of the glass in the sugar. It will stick to the sides. Then, make the Christmas Mimosa.
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Frequently Asked Questions
You don’t need to break the bank when making any kind of mimosa. Start by looking for a dry sparkling wine (or those labeled “brut”). I like Cava or Prosecco for mimosas. You can also find domestic sparkling wines in the $10-$20 range.
We do not recommend expensive Champagnes or higher-end sparkling wines because the flavors get lost as you add the juice. If you want to learn more you can check out our article on what is Champagne and what makes it so special on its own.
When looking for cranberry juice you’ll find LOTS of options. I recommend go for pure cranberry juice. Meaning, the only ingredient is cranberry juice. You’ll find lots of mixes that contain apple juice, sugar, and other juices.
Those tend to be a lot sweeter and filled with unnecessary ingredients. If that’s all you can find, then you won’t need to add the orange. The splash of orange juice is meant to offset the natural tartness of the pure cranberry juice.
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Easy Christmas Mimosa
Equipment
- 1 cocktail jigger or measuring tool (for measuring the parts for the mimosa)
- 1 sparkling wine flute
Ingredients
- 1 ounce chilled cranberry juice, (make sure it's plain cranberry juice, not those mixed with other juices or sugars)
- 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice
- 3 ounces chilled sparkling wine
Optional Garnish
- 1 fresh rosemary spring
- 2 whole fresh cranberries, (pomegranate seeds work too)
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar, (for an optional sugar rim)
Instructions
- Pour 1 oz of cranberry juice and 1/2 oz of orange juice into a glass. Top with the sparkling wine.
- Garnish: garnish with a rosemary spring, cranberries, or pomegranate seeds
- Optional Sugar Rim: If you plan to do a sugar rim, wipe the rim of the glass with juice BEFORE adding any liquid. Place the cane sugar in a small flat plate, then gently rotate the rim of the glass in the cane sugar. The liquid from the juice will help the sugar stick to the rim. Then, make the cocktail.
Notes
- Consider a Gruet Brut from New Mexico. Available throughout North America in most wine retailers and grocery stores.
- Cava will add great flavor as well.
- Prosecco is an affordable option but tends to run a little sweet.
- Avoid anything that says sec or demi-sec on the bottle as those will have too much residual sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
