The Mimosa is a classic brunch drink. But why stop there?
They are worth a mention in your evening or afternoon activities. A colourful table with many drink options looks great at night, as well as on Sunday mornings.
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These drinks can be paired with a charcuterie platter, Mini Salmon Quiches or vegetable samosas.
A Mimosa bar allows guests to enjoy various drinks, some of which they may have never tried before. Having a self-serve option allows guests to relax and drink at their own pace.
Mimosa Bar Essentials
Make sure everything is easily accessible when guests are eating at the table. Also, anticipate what their needs might be. Your guests shouldn’t need to search your home for a napkin, cocktail pick, or other small items. You don’t want your guests to be overwhelmed by too many options.
Here is a list of the things you will need:
- Carafes and jars to hold juices
- Fill a tub or cooler with ice to store wine and cider
- Glassware
- Garnishes can be stored in small bowls
- Measured shot glasses or jiggers are used to measure drinks
- Napkins
- Reusable stir sticks
- Cocktail picks for garnishes
- Wine and bottle openers
- A chalkboard or small sign can be used to list juice and wine combinations
- Flowers
- For glasses, wine tags
- Trashcan
What is the best wine and juice to buy for a Mimosa bar?
There are likely to be at most a few people who drink at your Mimosa bar. How can you ensure you aren’t over-or under-buying? Let’s get to the alcohol math!
A party with 10 people will require you to serve them 3 drinks per person (some may have more than others). If we assume that each Mimosa contains 2 ounces of juice and 3 ounces of wine or cider, then this is what you should buy.
Juice: Half-gallon (64 ounces / 1.9 liters) of juice. You can buy or make smaller versions as long as you make enough juice to fill a full gallon.
To make the Booze: You will need to have 90 ounces (2.7 Liters) of alcohol. This would be, rounded up:
- 4 bottles of wine OR
- 8 can wines OR
- 6 (16-ounce) cans of hard cider
Non-Alcoholic Bubbly If you offer zero-proof options to guests, a bottle of sparkling alcohol-free wine is the same ounce as its boozy counterpart. This allows you to sub 1:1. To balance the drink, you may need to add more juice.
These numbers are based on certain sizes. First, a standard-sized bottle of sparkling wine is approximately 750ml. This is about 25 ounces. A can of wine weighs in at 375ml, which is about 12 1/2 ounces. Although hard cider can be anywhere from these two numbers, I will stick with the 16-ounce can at home.
This will give you an idea of how many bottles to buy. You can adjust the quantities according to your requirements.
Boring Doesn’t Have to Be Booze-Free
Since my guests are looking for non-alcoholic options, I have received more requests to host parties with me lately. So I make sure that there is at least one non-alcoholic option for them.
Make a fun shrub for guests who don’t drink alcohol. For something truly unique, you can try a blackberry shrub soda, a pear-ginger scrub, a cucumber mint shrub soda, or a rosemary tangelo.
Mix Up Your Mimosa Bar Glassware
Expect traditional champagne flutes from your guests at a mimosa bar. You have the option to go traditional or make it more fun, so long as it doesn’t confuse your guests.
You can have one type of glass per drink. Please make sure you separate them so that guests are aware. You could also use small mason jars or stemless wine glasses to create a casual setting.
Invite your guests to dress up their drinks!
Garnishes are fun! If you are hosting a brunch, you can choose fruits and other items that match your serving.
Fruit garnishes:
- Orange slices
- Dry Apple chips
- Lemon water can be used to preserve the freshness of the apple slices.
- Pineapple leaves
- Watermelon wedges in small sizes
Raid your herb garden:
- Mint sprigs
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- For a decorative touch, freeze herbs in ice cubes if you have the time.
Sanding Salts or Sugars:
Rimmed glasses are a great way to add an extra touch to your drink. Place small bowls containing colored/flavored salts or lemon wedges.
I love making my dehydrated citrus fruits with a coffee grinder and then mixing them with kosher salt to make cocktails. There are many sugars and salts available at my local liquor shop.
The Stirrings brand is available nationwide at grocery stores. You can have your guests rub the top of the glass using lemon juice and then add salt or sugar to the bowl. You can also rim the glasses before guests arrive and allow them to dry.
- Tajin gives a spicy kick to a pineapple-mango mimosa.
- A watermelon mimosa with citrus salt is a great pairing.
- A warm cinnamon sugar aroma adds warmth to an apple pomegranate mocha.
Cold Mimosas make happy Mimosas
It is important to keep everything cool for the duration of your party. First, ensure that all bottles are refrigerated the night before. Keep bottles and juices cold during the party.
- Place everything in a large container that can hold ice. You could use a wine tub, cooler or large punch bowl.
- Avoid putting wine in the freezer. It will explode.
- Don’t worry if you forgot to chill your items the previous day! Use salt and ice to chill your bottles quickly!
- Fill your sink with equal amounts of ice and water. Mix in a cup of salt and stir the mixture. Finally, add your bottles. If you don’t have enough space for all your bottles, you may need to do this in batches. It would help if you had your bottles chilled within 10 to 15 minutes.
- You can leave the bottles in your sink if you’re looking to make things easier for yourself. To maintain the temperature throughout your party, add some ice to the water mixture once it has been chilled.
Refill the ice as necessary during the party and check for any overflow. Most tubs have a plug at their bottom that can be used to handle this. To accommodate melting, fill the tub only halfway.
Use a plastic cup to scoop out any water/ice. Broken glass will mean you have to dump the entire tub.
A Mimosa bar is a fun and colorful way to offer drinks to a group. The host can keep the drinks flowing, but the host should remain hands-off during the party. We are looking forward to it!
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