Mimosas for a Crowd
A mimosa bar is the easiest hosting trick there is, because your guests make their own and you do nothing but chill bottles. The only two things that matter are temperature and pouring order.
Photo: Roberto Montoya / Pexels
Ingredients
- 1 x 1.5L prosecco, cold (about 50 oz)
- 32 oz orange juice, cold
- Extra juices: peach, cranberry, grapefruit
- Fresh berries and orange slices
- Flutes
You will also need
Method
- Chill everything overnight. Warm juice kills bubbles the moment it hits the glass, and no amount of ice fixes it afterwards.
- Set the bottles in ice buckets and the juices in small jugs, not cartons.
- Tell people to pour the wine first, about two thirds, and top with juice. Wine first is the whole trick and it stops the glass foaming over.
- Put the fruit in bowls beside the jugs and leave everybody to it.
The one thing that matters
A 1.5L bottle pours about sixteen mimosas, so buy one bottle for every six or seven people. Nobody has ever complained about too much prosecco.
Questions
How many mimosas does a bottle of prosecco make?
About eight from a 750ml and sixteen from a 1.5L, at three ounces of wine per glass. For a brunch of eight, one 1.5L bottle is comfortable.
How much orange juice do I need for a mimosa bar?
Roughly two ounces per glass, so a quart covers about sixteen mimosas. Buy one quart of juice per 1.5L bottle of wine and add a second flavour for variety.
Can you set up a mimosa bar the night before?
Chill the bottles and juice overnight, and slice the fruit in the morning. Do not pre-mix. A mimosa poured in advance is flat by the time anybody drinks it.