Strawberry mimosas are the perfect late-spring cocktail, featuring sweet strawberry syrup topped with sparkling wine and finely chopped strawberries.
Do you get so excited about in-season strawberries that you buy way more than you can possibly eat? Or you pile the kids in the car and head out for some strawberry picking at a local pick-your-own farm and return with several pallets full? (Even despite the kid with the “one for me, one for the basket” approach to picking?)
If so, it’s time to break out the strawberry recipes. I love them in desserts like this Simply Strawberry Galette and this Strawberry Parfait with Mascarpone Cream, but strawberries are fantastic in cocktails too. Take this Strawberry Mimosa recipe!
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Why Make This Recipe
- Low-alcohol cocktail: The pairing of juice with champagne in a mimosa reduces the alcohol content. That makes this perfect as an aperitif or as a brunch cocktail.
- Perfect use for in-season strawberries: In fact, this recipe is perfect for strawberries that may even be a tad overripe. The sweeter the better to make strawberry syrup.
- So festive: Champagne and strawberries are always festive, but the combination in this cocktail is just stunning. Perfect for Mother's Day or any other celebration!
🥗 Ingredients
- Strawberries: Fresh strawberries are preferred for this strawberry sparkling wine cocktail, though you could use frozen strawberries to make the strawberry syrup. (Frozen strawberries will not have a firm texture when defrosted, so they won't look great finely chopped for a garnish.)
- Sparkling Wine: Any kind of sparkling wine will work for this recipe. Champagne is a classic option, but Prosecco would work as well.
- Sugar: Feel free to use a sugar alternative in this recipe if you'd prefer. If you want to leave out the sugar entirely (and your strawberries are sweet enough), you could choose to make a strawberry puree instead of syrup by blending strawberries in a blender or food processor.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Finely chop 4 ounces of fresh strawberries, then chop another 4 ounces of strawberries roughly.
2. Place the finely chopped strawberries in a small bowl.
3. Add the rest of the strawberries to a small saucepan with 2 ounces sugar and ½ cup water.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Liquid will bubble and thicken into a syrup.
5. After 10 minutes, strain liquid into a measuring cup with a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
6. Cool syrup in refrigerator.
7. To serve, pour a small amount of strawberry syrup (about 2 teaspoons) into your champagne flute. Feel free to eyeball it—you don't need to measure this at all.
8. Fill flutes with champagne, and top with a big spoonful of finely chopped strawberries.
Note: I prefer my cocktails on the dry side. If you want a sweeter drink with more strawberry flavor, make a double batch of the strawberry syrup and pour more into each class before topping with the bubbly.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Strawberry Mimosas
Mimosas are the kind of drink that is best made right before serving. That said, you can make the strawberry syrup in advance and keep it refrigerated until ready to serve, along with the champagne. For the finely chopped strawberries, you can prepare them an hour or two in advance, but the longer they sit (even refrigerated), the more they will soften and start to leak out strawberry juice. For the best-looking strawberry mimosas, finely chop the strawberries within 30 minutes of serving.
Mimosas are traditionally made with sparkling wine. (Note that in the United States, people often use the term “champagne” to describe any bubbly wine, but Champagne is actually an AOC-protected term. That means that only champagne produced by wine makers in the Champagne region of France can be called Champagne.) Because you are going to mix your sparkling wine with something else, you don’t need to buy a top-quality bottle, but you should buy a bottle of something you would drink on its own. Look for a champagne that is dry or extra-dry (brut or extra-brut). You can often find better deals on prosecco or other sparkling wines that are still delicious but don’t have the Champagne designation.
Mimosas can be made with so many different kinds of fruit. Any type of berries can be used, including cranberries, as in this Cranberry Mimosa. You can also make lovely mimosas with peaches, apricots, and other stone fruits. In my opinion, the key to the best mimosa recipe is using fresh, in-season fruit rather than pre-made juice!
Traditionally, mimosas combine champagne with orange juice. The resulting yellow-orange color is similar to the blooms on the mimosa plant, which gives the drink its name. This recipe is a strawberry mimosa without orange juice though, so the inspiration for the mimosa name doesn't quite work as well!
👩🍳 Expert Tips for Strawberry Mimosa
This recipe really shines with in-season, sweet strawberries. The strawberries that you find year-round in the grocery store are often artificially ripened, and sometimes more sour than sweet. You can always toss your finely chopped strawberries with a little bit of sugar before you use them to top your mimosa, if your strawberries aren’t sweet enough on their own.
Also, please buy organic strawberries whenever you can. Strawberries regularly rank #1 on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list. This is the list that ranks fruits and vegetables based on pesticide contamination. And EWG tests produce samples AFTER they have been washed and peeled (if necessary), so unfortunately washing your strawberries before eating will not eliminate pesticides.
I love that you can make this strawberry mimosa without a blender. But if you would like an icier version of this cocktail, you can combine the the strawberry syrup with champagne and ice in a blender to make a frozen version.
Wondering whether you can store leftover champagne? Champagne goes flat quickly once the bottle is opened. However, resealable champagne corks do work. This champagne sealer from Amazon is top-rated by America’s Test Kitchen for keeping your sparkling wine sparkling for at least a few days.
Now that you have your drink sorted, are you wondering what to serve with Strawberry Mimosas? I've got you covered. Champagne with strawberries is the perfect drink to eat with appetizers, whether you are just hosting a cocktail hour or moving into a full-on dinner party afterwards. To keep things simple, you can’t go wrong with serving mimosa drinks along with roasted nuts and a cheese plate. But if you’d like to make some easy appetizers to go with your cocktail, I’d recommend:
- Cilantro-Lime Crab Salad on Paprika Toasts
- Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Crisps
- Sweet Pea Ricotta Crostini
- Easy Puff Pastry Cheese Straws
- Blue Cheese and Pecan Endive Appetizer
- Smoked Salmon Canapés with Cucumber
What to Do with Fresh Strawberries
There’s nothing better than ripe, sweet strawberries on their own in my opinion, but there are many other uses as well.
- Use them in fresh fruit tarts
- Make strawberry shortcake or strawberry cobbler
- Bake a strawberry cheesecake
- Use strawberries in cocktails and sangrias like my White Wine Sangria with Strawberries or this delicious Kentucky Buck cocktail
- Dip them in chocolate for an elegant but easy dessert, as in these White Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Freeze extra strawberries (rinse and trim them first, then pat carefully dry before storing in a freezer bag), then use them in a smoothie like this Strawberry Blueberry Banana Smoothie or a strawberry milkshake.
- Blend fresh strawberries with yogurt and then freeze in popsicle molds.
- And of course, should you find yourself at the end of strawberry season with a pallet of very ripe strawberries, make jam!
Other Delicious Cocktail Recipes
And, if you're looking for more cocktail recipes, here are a few of my favorites!
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
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📖 Recipe
Strawberry Mimosa
Strawberry mimosas are the perfect late-spring cocktail, featuring sweet strawberry syrup topped with sparkling wine and finely chopped strawberries.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh strawberries
- 2 ounces sugar
- 1 bottle Champagne, Prosecco, or other dry sparkling wine
Instructions
- Finely chop half the strawberries, then chop the rest of the strawberries roughly.
- Place the finely chopped strawberries in a small bowl.
- Add the rest of the strawberries to a small saucepan with the sugar and ½ cup water. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Liquid will bubble and thicken into a syrup.
- After 10 minutes, strain liquid into a measuring cup with a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Cool syrup in refrigerator.
- To serve, pour a small amount of strawberry syrup (about 2 teaspoons) into your champagne flute, then fill with champagne.
- Top with a big spoonful of finely chopped strawberries.
Notes
I prefer my cocktails on the dry side. If you want a sweeter drink with more strawberry flavor, make a double batch of the strawberry syrup and pour more into each class before topping with the bubbly.
Make-Ahead Tips: The strawberry syrup for this recipe can (and should) be made in advance and kept refrigerated before use. However, the strawberries for the garnish should only be chopped within 30 minutes of serving, so they don't start to soften.
Storing Leftover Champagne: Champagne goes flat quickly once the bottle is opened. However, resealable champagne corks do work. This champagne sealer is top-rated by America’s Test Kitchen. This will keep your sparkling wine sparkling for at least a few days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 229Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 11mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 0g
Nutrition information is provided as a general reference for users courtesy of the online nutrition calculator Nutritionix.
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Chef Mimi says
I just received some champagne that my younger daughter recommended. With ripening strawberries in the garden, this might just be the way I try it!
Chef Molly says
I'd say that's a perfect excuse to try this recipe! (Really jealous you have strawberries in your garden!)
Alex says
These are just such a beautiful drink! I love that time when fresh strawberries start to appear - there's nothing quite like them! As we head into Winter here in Australia, I will be dreaming of warm days and this delicious drink.
Chef Molly says
Yes, pin it for later! I'm loving our spring weather right now, and happy to be heading for summer. But I'm sure by the end of it I'll be ready for winter and cozy food!
Katerina says
Ohh, these sound absolutely wonderful! A warm afternoon on the deck with my girlfriends (when we can again) and some of these mimosas and it's a party! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Chef Molly says
Agreed!! Let's hope it will be sooner rather than later that we'll again be able to sit on a deck with friends and mimosas!