Mystery and History Behind Mimosa

No brunch would be complete without a Mimosa or two alongside your eggs benedict and smoked salmon. It’s a great tipple to enjoy before a wedding, or especially this Mother’s Day weekend. But the history behind this favourite pre-midday cocktail is much disputed. Mimosa gets its name from the Australian yellow-orange shrub technically known as Acacia dealbata. The Mimosa is said to be connected to a bartender called Frank Meier who created it in the Ritz Hotel in Paris. His drink was a slightly more diluted version of Buck’s Fizz, Britain’s orange and sparkling wine cocktail using equal measures of both ingredients. However, Meier never actually took the credit for the cocktail, despite mentioning it in his book, “The Artistry of Mixing Drinks.” Some suggest that the drink was created in San Francisco by none other than film director Alfred Hitchcock, who is thought to have created it in the 1940’s causing its popularity to spread throughout North America. Now in 2023, the Herres Winery has come to the rescue. Having shown up several times as a seasonal summer listing with the LCBO, it is now available on a continuous basis. Ontario consumers may enjoy this yummy imported sparkling cocktail pre-mixed without having to go through the time-consuming exercise mixing up one’s own Mimosa hoping to hit the right combination of flavour and sparkle. The effervescence brings a liveliness as well as balance to the citrus elements of the orange. Enjoy whenever the occasion calls, not just for brunch, but also as a refresher on the patio or deck during sultry summer days and nights.

Romeo Orange Mimosa #14388, $13.45