Cheers to brunch! This Mimosa Mocktail uses orange sherbet or sorbet and citrus sparkling water for a non-alcoholic twist on the classic orange juice and champagne cocktail. It’s a fun and refreshing drink that’s perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day brunch, spring and summertime sipping, and beyond!
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Two-Ingredient Mimosa Mocktails
To make these non-alcoholic mimosas, you’ll need just two ingredients: orange sherbet or sorbet and orange sparkling water. I like to add a slice of orange on the side for a pretty garnish. You can absolutely skip the garnish if you don’t have fresh oranges on hand.
Assembly couldn’t be simpler: just add a couple of small scoops of sorbet or sherbet to a champagne flute, fill with sparkling water, and serve. The sparkling water will bubble around the sherbet or sorbet, much the way soda does in an ice cream soda or float.
You can use either traditional or stemless champagne flutes for this mocktail. I like to use a small cookie scoop for sherbet/sorbet scoops that will fit into the narrow opening of the flute easily.
Looking for another fruity non-alcoholic drink for spring and summer? Try my easy homemade Strawberry Soda with Basil.
Ingredient Guide: Sorbet vs Sherbet
When browsing the frozen dessert aisle at the grocery store, you might wonder how sorbet and sherbet differ. While both are fruit-based, the main difference between the two is that sherbet contains dairy, while sorbet does not.
Fruit sorbet is a frozen mixture of fruit puree or juice and sugar syrup. While you might see flavoring add-ins, like extracts, added to some recipes, the core of the dessert is the puree/juice and syrup. Since it does not contain diary, most sorbet is fat-free. The texture of sorbet is light, refreshing, and icy.
Sherbet is a similar fruit-based frozen dessert, but adds a small amount of milk or cream to the base. This gives it a creamier texture than sorbet (but not as creamy and rich as ice cream).
Either sorbet or sherbet can be used in this recipe. If you want to make a dairy-free mimosa mocktail, choose sorbet. (Do read the ingredient labels of the specific brand you’re buying to confirm. I’ve found the terms incorrectly used interchangeably on occasion).
Read more about the origins of these two popular frozen fruit desserts in The Difference Between Sorbet and Sherbet from Food & Wine.
Mimosa Mocktail FAQ’s
Q. I can’t find orange sherbet or sorbet. What can I substitute?
A. If your grocery store doesn’t stock containers of orange sherbet alone, look for rainbow sherbet, and scoop from the orange section. Two of our favorite citrus sorbets are Ciao Bella’s Blood Orange and Tangerine sorbets.
To make your own, try Alton Brown’s recipe for Orange Sherbet.
Q. What kind of sparkling water should I use?
A. A few of our favorite sparkling water varieties to use in this mimosa mocktail are La Croix Tangerine, La Croix Orange, and Bubly Orange.
Q. Can I make this Mimosa Mocktail with different flavors?
A. Absolutely! While mimosas are classically citrus-based, you can use any of your favorite sherbets/sorbets and sparkling waters to create a signature sip. Some of our favorites are raspberry sorbet with orange or lemon sparkling water, strawberry sorbet with grapefruit sparkling water, and mango sorbet with passionfruit sparkling water. Have fun getting creative!
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Mimosa Mocktail
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup orange sherbet or sorbet (1 medium or 2-3 small scoops)
- 4 ounces orange or tangerine sparkling water , chilled
- fresh orange slices , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Scoop the sherbet or sorbet into a champagne flute.
- Slowly pour the sparkling water over the sherbet or sorbet. The mixture will bubble and the sherbet/sorbet will start to melt into the sparkling water.
- Garnish with an orange slice, if desired, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About our recipes
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.