A toast with mimosas

There are two types of people in this world: those who think of mimosas as a bottomless brunch afterthought, and those who know they deserve better.

Sure, we’ve all knocked back a flute or three of something vaguely fizzy drowned in OJ while pretending to care about the waitlist at that new café. But a well-made mimosa? That’s something worth celebrating. It’s not just a hangover Band-Aid or a placeholder while you wait for your eggs Benedict—it’s a cocktail. One that, when made with intention, can be as refreshing and well-balanced as any spritz, sour or French 75.

And yet, time and again, it gets stuck with the worst of the wine fridge. Watery, overly sweet, sometimes suspiciously metallic—sparkling wine made for “mixing,” not sipping. But what if the bubbles actually mattered? What if your mimosa could taste like citrus sunshine instead of a regretful group text?

To find out, I asked a dozen beverage pros—from sommeliers and bartenders to brunch whisperers and drag brunch royalty—what bottles they actually use to make a mimosa worth remembering. Their picks range from reliable proseccos and bone-dry cavas to volcanic island sparklers that sound like something out of a Wes Anderson movie.

But first, a refresher on how to build a better brunch........

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