Non-Alcoholic Mimosa Recipe
I often serve Mimosa at every brunch where I want everyone at the table to feel like they’re holding something special. Equal parts chilled orange juice and non-alcoholic sparkling wine, poured into a champagne flute and garnished with a slice of orange or a single strawberry. It takes two minutes, requires zero cooking or mixing, and looks every bit as elegant as the original. The hardest part is deciding which sparkling wine to use.
What is a Mimosa Mocktail
A mimosa is one of those drinks that’s as much about the experience as the flavour – the champagne flute, the golden colour, the gentle fizz. It’s the drink of celebrations, lazy Sunday brunches, and baby showers. And for a long time, anyone not drinking alcohol at those occasions was stuck with plain juice in a regular glass while everyone else clinked flutes.
This mocktail fixes that completely. The non-alcoholic sparkling wine market has come so far in recent years that there are now genuinely excellent zero-proof options that bring real depth and complexity to this drink – far beyond what sparkling water alone can offer. The result is a virgin mimosa that doesn’t taste like a compromise. It tastes like a mimosa.
Notes on The Flavour Profile
The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity – just two ingredients, which means both of them need to be good.
Orange juice is the heart of the drink, and freshly squeezed is always the best choice. You know exactly what’s in it, the flavour is brighter and more alive, and the colour is more vibrant than anything from a carton. If you’re squeezing your own, strain out the pulp before pouring – a mimosa should be clear and elegant, not cloudy with floaties. That said, a good quality store-bought orange juice works perfectly well if you want to skip the squeezing.
The sparkling component is where this drink really lives or dies. Non-alcoholic sparkling wine is the top recommendation – it brings a flavour complexity and a dry, wine-like quality that genuinely mimics the champagne in the original.
Go for a dry style, since the orange juice is already sweet, and you want the sparkling component to balance rather than compound that sweetness. If non-alcoholic wine isn’t available or isn’t your preference, a citrus-flavoured sparkling water – lime, lemon, or grapefruit – works far better than plain sparkling water, which tends to make the whole thing taste like watered-down fizzy orange juice. Ginger ale is another lovely option that adds a subtle warmth.
Serve it in a champagne flute. Always. The glass is part of the experience, and a mimosa in a tumbler simply isn’t the same drink.
Additional Tips
- On the sparkling component: non-alcoholic sparkling wine is the strongest recommendation – it brings the closest flavour to the original mimosa. Look for a dry style to balance the sweetness of the orange juice. If you can’t find it, citrus sparkling water (lime, lemon, or grapefruit) is the next best thing. Plain sparkling water works but produces a noticeably flatter, more diluted result. Ginger ale is a great crowd-pleasing alternative.
- On the orange juice: freshly squeezed gives the best flavour and colour. If squeezing your own, strain the pulp before using – it keeps the drink clear and clean. Good quality store-bought is a perfectly valid shortcut.
- Serve everything cold: both the orange juice and sparkling wine should be well-chilled before assembling. A warm mimosa loses its sparkle – literally.
- For a batch: multiply the quantities and combine the orange juice and sparkling wine in a large pitcher just before serving. Don’t make it too far in advance, or the bubbles will fade.
- The glass matters: champagne flutes are ideal – they keep the drink cold, preserve the fizz, and make the whole experience feel special. Wine glasses work as a backup.
More Brunch Drink Recipes You Will Love
- Peach Bellini Mocktail – fruity, elegant, and perfectly peachy
- Virgin Mojito – fresh, minty, and very refreshing
- Apple Cider Mocktail – spiced and surprisingly sophisticated
- Lemon Mint Mocktail – bright, fizzy, and effortlessly beautiful
If you tried this recipe, please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below – I’d love to know which sparkling wine brand you used.
Mimosa Mocktail
Ingredients
Method
- Pour equal amounts of chilled orange juice and your choice of sparkling wine or sparkling water into a champagne flute. Pour the orange juice in first, then top slowly with the sparkling component to preserve as much fizz as possible.
- Garnish with an orange slice, a strawberry, or a cherry on the rim and serve immediately.