Great Drinks In A Can ~ Mimosa Cocktail & Bellini From Ohza
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Ah, for a Mimosa cocktail. Today, there’s a great one…in a can! When we were in college and smuggling drinks into the dorm, the way to do it was canned cocktails. The problem was, they were dreadful. Who would willingly drink them? People with no sense of taste, and dorm residents who couldn’t sneak in other booze and sneak out the empty bottles. Flash forward: Today, with consumer demand for “portable” cocktails, the category has exploded with good things to drink. One brand that impressed us is Ohza. Ohza wad born when four friends lugged ingredients and cups to a boat off Cape Cod, and attempted to mix up some Mimosas on board. The result? A mess, because the waves wouldn’t cooperate. One of the quartet knew there had to be an easier way to enjoy a good cocktail at a tailgate, camping, boating, anywhere outdoors (as long as it’s legal), on the road (but not if you’re the driver!), and other “portable” occasions. And of course, you don’t have to be on the move. We’ve enjoyed them on the sofa after work, on weekends, reading in bed, and (gasp!) as we write this on the computer. The Bellini and Mimosa cocktails were preceded by the Buck’s Fizz, created in 1921 at London’s Buck’s Club as an excuse to begin drinking early. A cocktail with no hard spirits, it has two parts sparkling wine, typically champagne, to one part orange juice. The Mimosa followed in 1925 at the Hotel Ritz in Paris. Less strong than a Buck’s Fizz, it has equal parts of sparkling white wine and orange juice. The Bellini arrived some time later, created in 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani, head bartender at Harry’s Bar in Venice. It combined peach purée (peach nectar is now used) and the local sparkling wine, Prosecco. While the Buck’s Fizz didn’t make it big in the U.S., thanks to their juice content, the Mimosa and Bellina became a classic breakfast, brunch and lunch drink. Pair the sparkling wine in your choice of ways: orange juice for a Mimosa, peach purée or nectar for a Bellini. Ohza takes the two most popular brunch drinks—the Mimosa and the Bellini—and turns them into a treat-in-a-can. The current line includes: By the way, the name Ohza evolved from drawing out the word mimosa, to mimoooohza. The last two syllables became the name of the brand. The line is all natural, gluten free and vegan. The company also uses a specially formulated brut sparkling wine, made in the Finger Lakes wine region of New York State, that has zero sugar. Most sparkling wines actually sugar in them, so Ohza reduces the sugar content tremendously. For more about the sugar, check out the seven levels of sweetness in Champagne. Each 12-ounce can is 140 calories and 5% A.B.V.*, with 11 grams of sugar and zero added sugar. All of the sugar comes from the juice, which accounts for 28% of the liquid volume inside the can. It has the calorie count of a hard seltzer, but the flavor of a classic cocktail. A really good classic cocktail! Head to the Ohza website, OhzaMimosas.com, for a store locator. You can also order online. And, you can sign up for a subscription to have the cocktails delivered on your schedule. It’s a great gift idea, too. *A.B.V. is alcohol by volume. You double the A.B.V. to get the proof. Thus, 5% A.B.V. is 10 proof. |
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