Entertaining

If You Like Mimosas, Drink These for Brunch Instead

The Mimosa is easy to gulp down thanks to its low ABV, but for some the drink falls short just because it isn’t boozy enough. This variation from Meir Mualam of New York’s The Green Room 42 and Green Fig is fortified with a healthy dose of vodka, creating a hybrid of the Mimosa and the Screwdriver. A few rounds are plenty to knock any man or woman off their feet.

This elegant, classic cocktail predates the Mimosa by a century, but it uses many of the same ingredients to capture a similar flavor. Orange and lemon wheels get muddled at the bottom of a wine glass beneath a topping of orange liqueur, chilled Champagne and a lemon twist. It’s just as citrusy as a Mimosa, but it doesn’t rely on sugary juice, allowing the sparkling wine to take center stage.

If you aren’t familiar with guava’s sweet, exotic flavor, or the earthy, funky taste of rhum agricole, this is the perfect cocktail to get acquainted with both. Created by Dan McClary of The Cannibal LA, pink guava purée gets shaken with rhum and fresh lime juice, then topped with brut Champagne in a coupe glass. Drier than you’d expect for such a vibrantly-hued cocktail, it tastes as if your Mimosa went on vacation to the tropics.

The Bellini and the Aperol Spritz are obvious Mimosas alternatives for brunch-time, but you can go one step further by combining the two in one downright delightful brunch libation. This simple cocktail combines the sweet stone fruit flavors of Rothman and Winter peach liqueur with bitter, orange-twinged Aperol. Dry, crisp prosecco then tops the cocktail, marrying the flavors together seamlessly.

Amp up the flavor and strength of your brunch tipple by ordering a Seelbach Cocktail with your next round of waffles. Bourbon and orange liqueur create a sweet, boozy base, while hefty dashes of both Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters give the cocktail complex herbaceous notes and a deep red hue. A topping of sparkling wine and a long lemon twist add levity, creating an easy-drinking brunch sipper that’s a world away from a basic, boring Mimosa.