Buck’s Fizz
Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 7.4% ABV ∙
A Buck's Fizz is a British breakfast cocktail built from dry sparkling wine topped with fresh orange juice and served in a flute. Crisp and citrusy, with the sparkling wine's dry snap cutting through the orange juice's sweetness for a light, fizzy morning pour.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour into the chilled glass: Dry sparkling wine 100 mlOrange juice 50 ml
- Top with the rest of the Dry sparkling wine
- Express flamed an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Chill both the sparkling wine and orange juice to around 4°C beforehand so the build needs no ice and stays fully carbonated.
- Pour the sparkling wine into the chilled flute first, add the orange juice, then top with the rest of the wine as the build does - that order keeps the most fizz.
- Add the sparkling wine slowly down the side of the flute to limit foam-up, keeping the roughly 2:1 wine-to-juice ratio intact.
- Strain the fresh orange juice through a fine sieve before building to avoid pulp clouding the flute and dulling the bubbles.
History
Buck's Fizz is said to have first been served in 1921 at Buck's Club in Mayfair, London, by the club's barman, Malachy "Pat" McGarry (also spelled MacGarry), who tended bar there from 1919 to 1941 and is also credited with creating the Sidecar. The drink takes its name from the club, which had opened in June 1919 and was itself named after its founder, Captain Herbert "Buck" Buckmaster. Buck's Fizz is essentially identical to the Mimosa, a drink said to have been created separately in Paris between 1921 and 1923 by bartender Frank Meier, with the two differing traditionally in their proportions of sparkling wine to orange juice. The cocktail was later included among the fizzes in Harry Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book.
FAQ
What is a Buck's Fizz?
A Buck's Fizz is a British cocktail built from dry sparkling wine and fresh orange juice, served in a flute and garnished with an orange twist. At roughly 7.4% ABV, it is a light, low-alcohol drink traditionally poured at breakfast or brunch.
What is in a Buck's Fizz drink?
Dry sparkling wine and freshly squeezed orange juice, built directly in the glass rather than shaken or stirred. This build uses roughly twice as much sparkling wine as juice, so the wine leads and the orange juice rounds it out.
What's the difference between a Mimosa and a Buck's Fizz?
The two are close cousins: a Mimosa is traditionally equal parts sparkling wine and orange juice, while a Buck's Fizz uses more sparkling wine than juice, giving it a drier, less juice-forward taste. Both are built in a flute and garnished simply, if at all.
What do Americans call a Buck's Fizz?
Americans generally just call this drink a Mimosa, though the two aren't identical. A true Buck's Fizz carries a higher ratio of sparkling wine to orange juice than the typical American Mimosa, making it drier and less sweet.
Is Buck's Fizz the same as prosecco?
No, prosecco is only one possible base wine, not the drink itself. This recipe calls for a dry sparkling wine topped with fresh orange juice, and prosecco, cava, or another dry sparkling wine can all fill that role.
Will a Buck's Fizz get you drunk?
It can, though it is one of the lighter cocktails at around 7.4% ABV, similar to the sparkling wine itself. The orange juice dilutes the alcohol further, so it takes more of them than a spirit-based cocktail to feel the effect.
