Tropical Guava Tangerine Fizz – A Brunch Cocktail

If you love classic champagne cocktails like mimosas, then this amped up tropical version will knock your socks off! Fresh tangerine juice and guava nectar give this brunch cocktail its Caribbean vibe and golden rum adds a tipsy factor. Make these brunch cocktails individually or by the pitcher for a crowd.

Brunch cocktails

You know what they say about brunch don’t you? It’s a socially acceptable excuse for day-drinking. I concur. There’s nothing more fun than sipping a cocktail at 10:30 in the morning under the guise of an entertaining mid-morning meal that spans breakfast and lunch. This brunch cocktail is a tropical, rosy blend of sparkling wine, rum and tropical flavors that will go equally well with a baked french toast or crab quiche as it will with a bevy of sweet buns, bacon and eggs. It’s not overly boozy either — as long as you can handle your champagne.

Ingredients for tropical guava tangerine fizz

• Guava Nectar
• Fresh Tangerine Juice
• Simple Syrup
• Rum
• Sparkling Wine

The key to this drink is making sure the juices and sparkling wine are well chilled before assembling. I usually put them in the refrigerator the night before. You can even assemble most of the ingredients the night before in a pitcher to chill and just pour the sparkling wine into the juice blend when you’re ready to serve.

Most classic champagne cocktails for brunch menus start with orange juice and/or grapefruit juice. I enjoy both, but for this mid-morning sipper, I opted for tangerine juice.

Why tangerine juice?

We all love a good glass of OJ, but tangerines to me are even more juicy, tangy and sweet. The flavor is both puckery and refreshing and adds extra oomph to this brunch cocktail. I know, I know — tangerine juice isn’t readily sold in stores, but tangerines are, and two tangerines will yield about 1/4 cup of juice. Since this brunch cocktail doesn’t require a lot of the juice, just use your lemon juicer to squeeze what you need.

Classic champagne cocktails… with rum?

Rum may not be the first thing you think of for a brunch cocktail, but just a skosh of its tropical essence kicks this drink into island time. You know what I’m talking about. You don’t need to use a really good rum for this, either. Save your Martinique Rhum Agricole for a classic ‘Ti Punch”.

Tangerine juice and guava nectar

It’s tough to juice a guava. If you’ve seen any of my guava posts like this puree or this jam, you’ll notice that guavas aren’t the type of fruit that you just squeeze for juice like you can with tangerines, oranges, etc. However, good guava nectar is available in most stores and adds an island perfume to this classic champagne cocktail and balances the tang of the tangerine juice. I’ve also added a bit of simple syrup to to the blend. You wouldn’t think this brunch cocktail would need more sugar because of the tangerine and guava juices, but I’ve found that just a hint of simple syrup balances all the flavors. If you prefer a drier drink, you can skip it (or add it later).

Skip the champagne… Use sparkling wine

I’ll be honest, I’ve NEVER used real champagne for brunch cocktails, primarily because they’re mixed with fruit juices and if I’ve got a good French champagne, I don’t want to cut it with other flavors. Sparkling wine, however, is another story. I usually stick to a $10-12 bottle of prosecco, cava, or California sparkling wine for this type of drink. The one I’m pouring here is a Crémant De Bourgogne from Trader Joe’s. It runs around $10.

Tropical guava tangerine fizz

This easy sipper is perfect for any weekend brunch or celebration like Christmas morning or New Year’s Day– for a little hair of the dog if your New Year’s celebration kept you dancing all night.

More tropical brunch cocktails:

• Passion Fruit Mojitos
• Fruity Planter’s Punch
• Sparkling Cara Cara Margaritas

More classic champagne cocktails:

• Ruby Thyme Spritzer
• French 75
• Passion Fruit Bellini

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