Tag: Sparkling Wine

The History Of The Buck’s Fizz.

The Buck’s Fizz was invented at the Buck Club in 1921 in London by Barman Malachy McGarry. The earliest printed recipe for Buck’s Fizz I can find is from the 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book. While the mimosa was invented in 1925 as a less boozy variation of The buck’s fizz, the buck’s fizz remained more widespread until the 1960s.

So how did the Buck’s Fizz fade from memory and the Mimosa become universally known? Hollywood, of course. Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite cocktail was the Mimosa. In a 1966 interview for the London Express, the author noted he met Alfred Hitchcock “In fine form, drinking mimosas and smoking an eight-inch cigar.” Other celebrities followed suit, and in no time, the Mimosa became the Cosmopolitan of the late 1960s.

What Is The Difference Between A Buck’s Fizz And A Mimosa?

The difference between the buck’s fizz and the mimosa is just the ratio of orange juice to sparkling wine. The buck fizz is 2:1 sparkling wine to orange juice, and the mimosa is 1:1 sparkling wine to orange juice. That’s all. I rarely ever see anyone make a 1:1 mimosa. The buck’s fizz ratio of 2:1 is preferred, but the name mimosa is so ubiquitous that the cocktail is always called a mimosa regardless of the proportions.

The History Of Buck’s Club London

The Buck Club was founded in 1919 by Herbert Buckmaster of the Royal Horse Guard. Herbert Buckmaster intended Buck’s Club to be an upper-class club with less of the stuffiness of other elite London clubs. One of Buckmaster’s requirements for the club was it should have an American-style bar. Not uncommon in hotels that served guests from overseas, but the idea of an American Bar in a prestigious invite-only boys club was unheard of. Buckmaster hired Pat MacGarry to head his American Bar. MacGarry never published his own cocktail book, but he is credited with having invented the Buck’s Fizz and the side-car. To this day, Buck’s Club is still an all-boys, invitation-only club.

Recipe Resources

• 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book- Tarling

The History Of The Champagne Cocktail.

Cocktails are very much an American thing as a cocktail like this would never exist in France or Italy. They would be arrested if someone added a raw sugar cube, bitters, and a lemon peel to champagne. On a side note, the British are big into cocktails and have made an equal contribution to the field, but they were introduced to making them by Americans. William Tarling, one of the first presidents of the UKBG back in the 1930s, cites Jerry Thomas as having introduced the British to American saloon-style drinks with his 1859 UK cocktail exhibit. William Tarling wrote that Jerry Thomas used solid silver tools valued at 1000 pounds in 1850 or a little over 100,000 today, but back to my point.

The champagne cocktail was most likely invented by Jerry Thomas and is used as a way to add a bit extra presentation to champagne for toasting. The bitters provide a nice earthy and herbal element to the cocktail, but the sugar cube doesn’t add much sweetness. The most significant contribution of the sugar cube is to give the carbonation in the Champagne a surface to atomize onto and make the drink an overwhelming display of carbonation. Like dropping a Mentos into a bottle of coke. Flavor-wise the lemon peel adds a nice lemon flavor, and if you express it over the top, it coats the top of the glass with a beautiful lemon smell and taste. If you’re looking for a simple way to elevate your presentation during a toast, the champagne cocktail is a fun one to try.

Recipe Resources

• 1862 The Bartenders Guide – Thomas

The History Of The Mimosa.

The story goes that this was invented in 1925 by Frank Meier at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. The oldest printed recipe from a book that I could find for the mimosa is Frank Meier’s own 1936 book “The Artistry of Mixing Drinks.” There he refers to it as a Mimosa or a Champagne Orange. The 1936 recipe is equal parts orange juice and Champagne and no different than how they are made today.

The Mimosa is a variation of another cocktail called the Buck’s Fizz. A Buck’s Fizz is two parts champagne with 1 part orange juice, which are the proportions most prefer. The Buck’s Fizz was invented at the Buck Club in 1921 in London by Barman Malachy McGarry. The earliest printed recipe for Buck’s Fizz I can find is from the 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book. In fact, it’s hard to find the mimosa recipe in any cocktail book printed before the 1970s. Outside of Frank Meiers own book, I only found it in one other book. I also found it in the 1948 book “The Fine Art of Mixing” by David Embury. He states the mimosa is also called a Bismark, but I could not find anyone else calling it that. But on the other hand, I found a few books referencing a Buck’s Fizz until the 1970s.

So how did the Buck’s Fizz fade from memory and the Mimosa become universally known? Hollywood, of course. Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite cocktail was the Mimosa. In a 1966 interview for the London Express, the author noted he met Alfred Hitchcock “In fine form, drinking mimosas and smoking an eight-inch cigar.” Other celebrities followed suit, and in no time, the Mimosa became the Cosmopolitan of the late 1960s.

Recipe Resources

• 1936 The Artistry Of Mixed Drinks – Meier

What Is The History Of The Bellini?

The Bellini was invented during World War 2 in Venice, Italy, by Guiseppe Cipriani. The Bellini is named after Giovanni Bellini, a famous Venetian Renaissance painter with well-known work in Venice, where the cocktail was invented.

What Is The Difference Between The Mimosa And The Bellini?

The Mimosa was invented in 1925 at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, France, by Frank Meier. Even though the Bellini was created 15 years after the mimosa, it is unclear if the Mimosa inspired this Italian cocktail. They are very similar cocktails, but the peach juice and orange juice give each cocktail very different flavors. A Mimosa is more acidic and fresh tasting with a drier, thinner body, while the Bellini is sweeter with a slightly thicker nectar taste and fuller body mouth feel. This is not a fair comparison, but I would liken it to comparing a white to red wine. White is like the Mimosa, and red is like the Bellini.

The Bellini is a beautiful sparkling wine cocktail and perfect for brunch. Unlike the mimosa, though, I feel the Bellini also works well for an evening cocktail. It’s thicker, more nectar-like taste and mouthfeel lends itself well to a nice before or after-dinner drink. If you have only had a Bellini for brunch, try making one in the evening and see how versatile this cocktail can be.