Drink Bourbon at Brunch with this Easy Bourbon Mimosa

Last Updated on November 29, 2021 by Heather Wibbels

Let’s get bourbon back in brunch with this Bourbon Mimosa. Everyone loves a great brunch cocktail, but often times the bourbon lovers get left out. Many people consider bourbon too heavy for a mid-day cocktail.

Let a sip of this Bourbon Mimosa cocktail tell you why you’re wrong. It’s a delicious combination of bourbon, orange liqueur and bitters, so you won’t even have to add fresh orange juice.

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Mimosas with Bourbon

The classic mimosa recipe includes only two things, orange juice, and champagne. It’s a light, refreshing cocktail, and one that’s easy to switch up with alternate juices like peach, pineapple or mango.

You can just make a traditional mimosa and add an ounce of bourbon to it (which is delicious, by the way). Or you can go the route I took, which uses orange liqueur instead of orange juice to stand up to the flavors in a great bourbon.

Flavors in a Bourbon Mimosa

Bourbon and orange is a classic flavor combination. Found in many classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned and Manhattan as a traditional garnish, a dash of orange flavor brings out citrus and fruity notes in a bourbon cocktail. 

In this cocktail, because I’m using orange liqueur, I decided to balance the sweetness overall with some bitters. I chose to use Scrappy’s orange bitters and The Bitter Truth chocolate bitters. However, any great citrus or aromatic bitters can be used.  Here are some great combinations to try:

• Aromatic and orange bitters
• Hummingbird and ginger bitters
• Orange and ginger bitters
• Chocolate and tiki bitters
• Cherry and chocolate bitters
• Orange and cardamom

How to Make Bourbon Mimosa

I’ve got the full recipe below, and I prefer making a set of these at a time, so I combine the ingredients (except for the sparkling wine) in a mixing glass, stir them until chilled, then pour into two champagne flutes. After that, all you need to do is top them off with your favorite sparkling wine and garnish with an edible flower or an orange twist. 

Make a Batch of these Bourbon Mimosas for a Day at the Distilleries

If you’re heading out to the distilleries for a day of touring, this cocktail is easy to batch and serve, either before you head out, or on the bus on your way there as part of a tour. If you are driving, however, it’s best to serve this to others instead of drinking yourself. We want everyone to have a great time, but also to be safe. To make a batch of 8-10:

• 1.5 cup bourbon
• 1 cup orange liqueur
• ⅓ cup water
• 12 dashes orange bitters
• 12 dashes chocolate bitters

Combine the ingredients in an empty bourbon bottle and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. To serve, add 2 oz to a champagne flute and top with chilled sparkling wine. Garnish with an edible flower or small orange twist.

Other Cocktails You Might Enjoy

• Breakfast Old Fashioned
• Bourbon and Bubbles
• Earl Grey Bourbon Spritz
• Raspberry Bourbon Bubbles
• Earl Grey Old Fashioned

Bourbon Mimosa (Makes 2)

Heather Wibbels

Start your day off with a Bourbon Mimosa featuring bourbon, orange liqueur, bitters and a lovely top off of sparkling wine. You won’t even have to get fresh orange juice to enjoy this cocktail. And you can customize it to your flavor preference by using different bitters to highlight flavors in the bourbon whiskey itself.

4.88 from 8 votes

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Course Drinks

Cuisine Bourbon Cocktail, Brunch cocktail, Champagne Cocktail

Servings 1

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 oz bourbon I used Rare Breed, but New Riff, Baker’s, Michter’s Single Barrel, Henry McKenna, or any great barrel proof or high proof whiskey will work
• 1 oz orange liqueur Grand Marnier or Cointreau works
• 3 dashes Scrappy’s orange bitters
• 3 dashes The Bitter Truth chocolate bitters
• 4-6 oz sparkling wine

Instructions

 

• Mix all but sparkling wine in a mixing glass and add ice. Stir and strain into two flutes. Top with dry sparkling wine and flowers (I used blackberry flowers and dianthus).

Notes

Notes: Swap out the bitters above for any favorites you have that would taste amazing with the bourbon and orange notes in the cocktail.

Keyword bitters, bourbon, champagne, orange liqueur, sparkling wine

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!