Mimosa Bar & Brunch Board
Setting up a mimosa bar and brunch board for your next special occasion is an easy way to impress a crowd! Having refreshing cocktails, delicious finger foods, and a stunning display set up ahead of time will allow you to relax, mingle, and enjoy good company!
A mimosa bar & brunch board is a beautifully creative way to set up a DIY cocktail station. It is perfect for a bridal shower, a holiday brunch, a Mother’s Day celebration, or a special brunch for a girl’s weekend. What a great way to feed a crowd, and and be able to relax and enjoy whatever the day brings!
What’s a mimosa bar?
A mimosa bar is an easy and impressive way to add class and sophistication, while allowing everyone to sip on a refreshing fizzy cocktail, nosh on tasty brunch items, and enjoy the day’s festivities.
A mimosa is a popular cocktail made of sparkling white wine (traditionally champagne) and juice (traditionally orange). That’s it! Sweet juice paired with tart, dry bubbles makes a mimosa a light and refreshing drink that is perfect for special occasions.
This simple guide to setting up your mimosa bar will give you the inspiration you need to get you going. It comes with tips and ideas of different flavors of juice, delicious brunch ideas, and room for flexibility to let your creativity shine.
A sampling of a little of everything is such a nice way to provide options for everyone. Set the bar high the next time you’re hosting a celebration because a mimosa bar and brunch board is sure to be a hit!
What you need
- Champagne or Prosecco: A 2 part champagne to 1 part juice ratio is nice but how much champagne to use will depend on individual taste. Some prefer a 1 to 1 ratio.
- Juice – Orange is popular but you could also try a tropical fruit juice or blueberry lemonade. See below for more suggestions.
- Fruit – Any fruit that complements the juice such as oranges, mango, pineapple, or blueberries. For something different, try freezing the fruit into ice cubes!
- Brunch Items – Country ham biscuits, creamy Brie, French baguette bites, strawberry jam, and mini quiche bites are what is pictured here, but the sky is the limit. For a fall themed party, try adding pumpkin pie pop tarts. Or, you could set up an avocado toast bar. Of course, we’re also partial to pancakes.
How to set it up
If you want frozen fruit as ice cubes, plan ahead and have the fruit cut and in the freezer.
Have your sparkling wine on ice and your juices chilled.
Prepare your finger foods.
The options given are all great choices if they are served hot or at room temperature.
Allow everyone to pour their own drinks. A 2:1 ratio of wine to juice is nice, but your guests can make them sweeter or dryer according to their taste.
FAQs
Any juice that you like will do. We all know orange juice is the most popular but there are plenty of other options. An array of juice colors just looks stunning on display. A fruity juice is best since you’ll be mixing it with dry sparkling wine. You can use a more tart juice, like grapefruit or cranberry, but have sweeter options available like strawberry, mango, or pineapple. We recommend always buying double the orange juice since it is typically the most popular option. During cooler months, a nice apple cider mimosa is amazing.
Champagne is the traditional sparkling white wine used in mimosas but cava or prosecco are great options when hosting an event with more people. They are a bit less expensive but still have the same dry bubbly goodness that champagne has to offer.
Both are so good, no one would blame you if you wanted to make it a bellini AND mimosa bar! They are similar in their use of sparkling white wine. The only difference is a bellini is made with a fruit purée or schnapps, instead of fruit juice.
When pairing food to go along with your mimosa bar, pick some fatty or salty options to cut through the sweetness of the juices and fruit. Keep things simple with finger food options. Sliders, strips of candied bacon, and a crackers and cheese platter are some ideas.
How to make it your own
- Since you are creating your own DIY station, why not jazz it up a bit with a sign or two! Label all of the juice flavors, and even write down your preferred juice to champagne ratio to give people a jumping-off point.
- Think about the theme, the season, or the reason for the celebration and consider your décor. Colors, napkins, linens, what glasses you’ll be using, what bowls, plates, and cutlery, if any.
- Have some Sprite, lime soda, or flavored sparkling water for people who would like a mimosa mocktail, a non-alcoholic version.
- For easy clean-up, have plenty of napkins and paper plates on hand.
- If you have frozen fruit, keep some unfrozen for those who would prefer it that way.
- Have fun with the board idea and pair this mimosa board with a yogurt parfait board, an epic egg sandwich board, or a lox bagel board.
Make Ahead Ideas
There are a lot of moving parts to a mimosa bar. Some of the things you can plan for ahead of time: freezing your fruit, making lots of ice cubes (or buying ice) to keep the sparkling wine on, as well as figuring out what (if any) food needs to be warmed up. Keep the juice in the fridge and transfer to nice-looking pitchers or decanters beforehand.
More festive brunch recipes
Get the Recipe: Mimosa Bar
Ingredients
For the Mimosas
- 1 bottle (750ml) champagne or prosecco (1 bottle per 8 mimosas)
- 24 ounces orange juice, tropical fruit juice, blueberry lemonade, cranberry juice, grape juice, grapefruit juice (we recommend 3 different types, 8 ounces each)
Fruit
- Assorted fruit including oranges, mango, pineapple, blueberries (see notes)
For the Brunch Bar
- Assorted brunch items including country ham biscuits, creamy Brie, french baguette bites, strawberry jam, mini quiche bites (see notes)
Instructions
Day Before
- If you want frozen fruit as ice cubes, plan ahead and have the fruit cut and in the freezer, in water if desired. Chill prosecco and juice.
Day of
- Prepare your finger foods. The options given are all great choices, served either hot or at room temp. The options are endless, though!
Set Up
- Place the juices in decorative pitchers, if desired. Place prosecco in buckets of ice, if desired. Arrange fruits and food items on boards or platters.
To make a Mimosa
- We recommend a 2:1 ratio of wine to juice but your guests can make them sweeter or dryer according to their taste. Ingredient list allows for close to a 1:1 ratio, so you may want to have an extra bottle of Prosecco on hand.
Notes
- Nutrition information is for one mimosa made with orange juice.
- Prosecco vs. Champagne: Champagne is the traditional sparkling wine used in mimosas but a nice prosecco, a different variation of sparkling wine, is a great option when hosting an event with more people. It is cheaper but still has the same dry bubbly goodness that champagne has to offer.
- Juice Notes: Any juice that you like will do. You can use a juice that is more tart, like grapefruit or cranberry but have a sweeter option available and always buy double the orange juice, since it is the most popular option.
- Fruit Notes: Pick fruit that compliments your juices. They can be frozen and used as ice cubes in your mimosas or as a garnish.
- Food Notes: When pairing food to go along with your mimosa bar, pick some salty options to cut through the sweetness of the juices and fruit. Keep things simple with finger food options.