I recently treated myself to an Exotic Bitters Mini Set from Scrappy’s Bitters. I was on the hunt for a good lavender bitters and I was not disappointed. Along with lavender, the set also included cardamom, grapefruit and chocolate bitters. Grapefruit is the easiest to incorporate and I had plans for that lavender and chocolate… but what to make with cardamom?
I haven’t had much experience with cardamom, but quickly learned it has a following and for good reason. Googling around I found a few cardamom grapefruit cocktails that were really tasty (here & here*). So I figured, why not update my favorite mimosa?!
I have no issues with the standard mimosa, it’s great-I love it-I order it at brunch. However, I do think it is a fairly blank slate ready to be tinkered with. So today I have a main mimosa act and two supporting acts.
All mimosas are made pretty much the same way. Fill the glass about 3/4 of the way with champagne, top with juice. The below recipes are more a guide than hard and fast rules.
| GRAPEFRUIT CARDAMOM MIMOSA | ||
| 4 oz Brut Rose sparkling wine | ||
| 2 oz Fresh ruby grapefruit juice | ||
| 2 Dashes cardamom bitters | ||
| CRANBERRY ORANGE MIMOSA | ||
| 4 oz Brut sparkling wine | ||
| 2 oz Cranberry juice (not cocktail) | ||
| 2 Dashes orange bitters | ||
| LEMON LAVENDER MIMOSA | ||
| 4 oz Brut sparkling wine | ||
| 1 oz Fresh lemon juice | ||
| 1/2 oz Simple syrup | ||
| 2 Dashes lavender bitters | ||
My favorite champagne/sparkling wine is Brut because it’s the driest. I find Brut Rose to be even drier than white and super pretty. If you like things semi-dry, pick "Extra Dry". If you are into sweet I'd ask someone at the store what their picks are or search online!
I highly recommend fresh citrus juices. Bottled citrus is sharper and more acidic and doesn’t quite taste as good. I don’t squeeze my own OJ for straight drinking (that is a lot of work), but for the amount you use in a cocktail it’s worth it. I have a great citrus juicer that makes it really easy. This is especially awesome when we have a party. I can juice a bunch of lemons and limes beforehand which makes drink making super fast during the party.
I’m also pretty obsessed with real cranberry juice. Up until a couple years ago I had only ever had cranberry juice cocktail. Straight cranberry juice is so much better! It’s more tart, more flavorful and less sweet. The stuff I get is still made from concentrate, and it’s more expensive than the cocktail stuff but I think it’s worth it. Plus it lasts a really long time.
Post-juicer! I got 1/2 cup juice out of the whole grapefruit.
I always strain my citrus juices. You can see here there are little seeds and lots of pulp that I don't want in my cocktails.
Like a beautiful pink cloud.
Adding bitters before juice, so the juice helps stir it up. I don't really like stirring bubbly drinks too much if I can avoid it.
Yum! Repeat the process for the other recipes and try all three!
*I subbed in 1/2oz simple syrup and a dash of rose water for the rose syrup. I also used a few shakes of the cardamom bitters in lieu of the pod.
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