Ask anyone what's in a mimosa and you'll get a chorus of confident, slightly different answers. The truth is refreshingly simple: a real mimosa is just two ingredients. No mystery powder, no chemistry set, no asterisk. Just the bright, celebratory pour that turned brunch into an event.
So let's settle it once and for all, then pull back the curtain on what's actually hiding in a lot of the "canned cocktails" lining the cooler shelf.
What Is a Mimosa Made Of? The Two-Ingredient Answer
A classic mimosa is sparkling or white wine plus juice. That's it. That's the whole recipe.
- Real wine — traditionally Champagne or another sparkling wine, though plenty of bartenders reach for a still white wine for a softer, fruit-forward pour.
- Juice — most famously orange, but mango, pineapple, berry, and other fruit juices all play beautifully.
Mix the two in a flute, usually somewhere around half-and-half, and you've made a mimosa. The drink earned its name from the bright, sunny color of the mimosa flower, which feels exactly right for something built for sunshine and celebration.
When you keep both ingredients honest — actual wine and actual juice — you get that clean, balanced taste people fell in love with in the first place. The wine brings the lift and the dryness; the juice brings the fruit and the glow.
So What's Really In a Canned Mimosa? Read the Fine Print
Here's where it gets interesting. Not every can labeled "mimosa" is made the way the original was. Many ready-to-drink "cocktails" and "mimosa-style" cans are built on something very different from wine and juice.
Flip a lot of those cans over and you'll find a familiar lineup:
- A malt base instead of wine (the same fermented-grain base used in hard seltzers)
- Water as a primary ingredient
- Juice from concentrate rather than real, fresh juice
- Added "natural flavors" to mimic the fruit that isn't really there
- Extra sweeteners to paper over the gaps
None of that is technically a mimosa. It's a malt seltzer wearing a mimosa costume. It can taste sweet and fizzy, sure — but it's a fundamentally different drink built on a cheaper formula. If your "mimosa" ingredient list reads more like a soda label than a wine label, that's your tell.
What's In a Mimosa Royale Can: Real Wine, Real Juice, No Malt
This is exactly the gap we built Mimosa Royale to close.
Every Mimosa Royale can is made with real California white wine and 100% natural juice — and a real 9% ABV. No malt base. No water filler standing in for wine. No mystery flavoring pretending to be fruit. Just the two ingredients a mimosa is supposed to have, sealed in a 355ml can and ready the moment you are.
We make it in six flavors — Orange, Mango, Berry, Watermelon, Pineapple, and Apple — so the variety lives in the juice, not in a lab. As the World's First Ready-to-Drink Mimosa®, and the most-awarded flavored wine, with 50+ international competition medals including RTD Magazine's 2025 Mimosa Producer of the Year, we're a little protective of what "mimosa" actually means. You can see the full trophy shelf on our awards page.
Browse the whole lineup of canned mimosas and you'll notice the throughline: real ingredients, every flavor, every can.
Mimosa Calories and Sugar: What to Know
Whenever someone asks what's in a mimosa, the follow-up is almost always about mimosa calories and sugar — so here's the honest, general picture.
Because a mimosa is wine plus juice, its calories come from two places: the alcohol in the wine and the natural sugars in the juice. As a category, mimosas tend to land in the lighter-cocktail range — lower than a creamy, syrup-heavy cocktail, but not calorie-free, because juice naturally carries sugar. The exact numbers depend entirely on the wine, the juice, and the ratio in the glass.
A few things worth knowing:
- Sugar mostly comes from the juice, not added syrup — at least when the drink is made the real way. Cans built on concentrate and added sweeteners can carry more sugar than a real, juice-based pour.
- Drier wine and a juice-forward (not syrup-forward) build generally make for a lighter glass.
- "Natural flavors" don't equal lower sugar. A flavored malt seltzer can still be plenty sweet.
The takeaway isn't a magic number — it's that what goes in the can drives what you're drinking. Real wine and real juice give you a clean, recognizable profile instead of a sweetened mystery. For nutrition specifics on any product, always check the can and the label.
Real Mimosa vs. Malt Seltzer: Why the Base Matters
If you only remember one thing, make it this: the base is the whole ballgame.
A malt seltzer starts from fermented grain, then leans on water, concentrate, and flavoring to taste like fruit. A real mimosa starts from wine and juice — so it already is the thing it's selling. That difference shows up in the glass as a cleaner, more grown-up taste and a drink that actually belongs at the brunch table, the bridal suite, and the celebration.
That's the line we refuse to cross. Mimosa Royale stays on the real side of it — every can, every flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a mimosa made of? A classic mimosa is made of just two ingredients: sparkling or white wine and juice (most often orange). Mimosa Royale uses real California white wine and 100% natural juice at a real 9% ABV — no malt base and no water filler.
What's in a canned mimosa? It depends on the brand. A real canned mimosa, like Mimosa Royale, contains real wine and real juice. Many other "mimosa-style" cans are actually malt seltzers built on a malt base, water, juice from concentrate, and added natural flavors.
How much sugar and how many calories are in a mimosa? A mimosa's sugar comes mostly from the juice, and its calories come from the wine and that juice, so it tends to sit in the lighter-cocktail range. Exact figures vary by wine, juice, and ratio — and cans built on concentrate and added sweeteners can run higher in sugar. Always check the specific can's label for nutrition details.
Is a mimosa just wine and orange juice? Traditionally, yes — wine and orange juice. But the juice can be anything bright and fruity. Mimosa Royale offers six juice-driven flavors: Orange, Mango, Berry, Watermelon, Pineapple, and Apple.
Does Mimosa Royale use real wine? Yes. Every Mimosa Royale can is made with real California white wine and 100% natural juice at a real 9% ABV. You can see more details on our FAQ page.
The Bottom Line
What's in a mimosa? When it's done right, just two honest ingredients — real wine and real juice. Everything else is a costume. If you'd like the real thing, chilled and ready to toast, explore our collection of canned mimosas and pick the flavor that matches your celebration.
Here's to brunch done properly.
Please drink responsibly. Must be 21+.