Blood Orange Mimosas

Another round of Blood Orange Mimosas, please! These ruby-hued beauties are a gorgeous and delicious way to enjoy seasonal produce and brighten up any brunch.

About this Blood Orange Mimosa recipe

Every year I wait for blood oranges to appear at the grocery store. If you blink (AKA skip a week), you might miss it. I was so happy to stumble across a big bag of these seasonal fruits recently so I could make a batch of blood orange mimosas for a Sunday brunch.

Mimosas are so wonderful for brunch any time of year, whether it’s strawberry mimosas for springtime or cranberry mimosas for Christmas.

Serve this sparkling blood orange mimosa throughout blood orange season for any special occasion. Try them at a celebratory breakfast, a special brunch with your friends, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, Easter… you name it!

What is a blood orange?

Also known as the raspberry orange, the blood orange is a type of citrus in the orange family with flesh that’s a vivid, crimson color — almost blood-like — and a sweet flavor with a pleasantly bitter edge.

Popular in Italy and Spain, these ruby-hued beauties are now cultivated in California and Texas as well. Blood oranges are in season from December to April.

These gorgeous citrus fruits are one of the fruits I use in my winter citrus spa water alongside a spectrum of lemons, oranges and grapefruit.

What is a mimosa?

The mimosa is a cocktail of orange juice and champagne. The mimosa is similar to the bellini cocktail, which is made with peach puree and champagne. It gets its name from the mimosa flower, which is a pretty orange color to match the juice of regular oranges that’s traditionally used.

Mimosas are sometimes made with an extra ingredient — triple sec or a top-shelf orange liqueur, like Grand Marnier or Cointreau. It’s totally optional, but it does add more booze and more flavor. It’s up to you if you decide to use it!

Vodka, whiskey or rum can also be used instead of triple sec. (The Seelbach is a favorite champagne cocktail that’s made with bourbon, though it’s not a mimosa.)

Traditionally served at breakfast or brunch, mimosas are bubbly, zesty and fun. This wintry mimosa is simply a twist on the classic mimosa. Some people don’t like mimosas, but no big deal! Just serve them champagne by itself. They’ll be just fine.

Ingredients

This refreshing blood orange mimosa is an easy recipe. It calls for just two ingredients, so they need to be the best ones you can afford to make it the best blood orange mimosa cocktail recipe.

Technically, there is one more ingredient you can add if you want to get fancy, but it’s totally optional.

Blood orange juice: You may be able to find bottled blood orange juice at specialty grocery stores, but the best and easiest way to get it is to juice fresh blood oranges. I am obsessed with my electric citrus juicer, but an old-fashioned citrus juicer or hand squeezer will work just as well. Be sure to strain out any pulp if you don’t like it in your mimosas.

Champagne: You can use any kind of sparkling wine — champagne, cava or prosecco will all work. Since blood orange juice is sweet, it would be best to choose a sparkling wine that’s dry. Look for “brut” on the label. Look at my guide to sparkling wine to help you pick out a bottle.

Triple sec: You can add 1 ounce of orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau or triple sec for a little bit more orange flavor. Vodka or brandy would also work. But if you want to keep things simple, feel free to skip this ingredient altogether.

Blood orange slice: Cut a few wedges of blood oranges (or blood orange slices) to garnish your champagne flutes. It makes them picture perfect!

Substitutions & variations

There are a few ways you can update this blood orange and champagne mimosa recipe for your gatherings. However you choose to make it, I just know it will become your new favorite cocktail in lieu of the traditional mimosa.

Or you can make a spiced blood orange mimosa with spiced rum. I love keeping a bottle of it on my bar cart all year long.

Bourbon fans can make a blood orange bourbon mimosa recipe with their favorite whiskey instead of triple sec. Check out my bourbon 101 guide for tips on choosing your favorite bottle.

To make a non-alcoholic blood orange mimosa, use sparkling apple cider or sparkling lemonade instead of champagne. See this virgin mimosa recipe for more about making the best non-alcoholic mimosas.

And you can mix up the OJ part of mimosas with other fruits, like I did with these apple cider mimosas and guava mimosas.

Instructions

The recipe for a mimosa with delicious blood orange juice is super simple. It’s just like making a classic mimosa, only we’re switching the OJ out for fresh blood orange juice.

Take a champagne flute (stemless or with a stem — you can even use a wine glass!) and fill it with 2 ounces of blood orange juice. If you want another punch of orange flavor, add a little bit of triple sec too.

Then top it with your favorite dry sparkling wine! Champagne, prosecco, cava — you really can’t go wrong.

Food & drink pairings

Serve up this blood orange almond tart to go with your sparkling blood orange champagne cocktails.

A Beet & Blood Orange Salad would also be great for a savory option!

You might also want to whip up some Bloody Mary mix to have a savory cocktail on hand as well.

A few Orange Poppy Seed Muffins would be lovely too. You could even make them with blood orange juice if you wanted!

More blood orange cocktail recipes

If you end up with a big box of blood oranges, try one of these blood orange cocktail recipes:

• Blood orange margaritas would be delightful on a wintry Taco Tuesday that calls for tequila.
• The blood orange whiskey sour is made with bourbon and egg whites for a frothy and smooth cocktail.
• A blood orange daiquiri is a classy one that is great for celebrating Mardi Gras.
• A pitcher of blood orange sangria would be equally welcome if you are serving a crowd.
• Lastly, this blood orange Moscow mule is fantastic with the vodka and ginger ale.