Remember the Mimosa today
It’s may 16. Even though mother’s day was a couple days ago, there is still reason to celebrate. It’s national Mimosa Day. And, no, we aren’t talking about the Russian Mimosa Salad. While Canned fish, Boiled eggs, mayonnaise, and onion may sound enticing, we’re talking about the Cocktail of Champagne and Orange Juice. Although, both derive their name from the Mimosa Flower, also known as acacia Dealbata. Mimosa flowers get their name from the greek Mimos (to mime) and the suffix Osa (to resemble). The leaves “mimic conscious life”. While there are about 600 varieties of mimosa flowers, one in particular: Mimosa pudica, is called the touch me not because the leaves actually recoil when touched. Its consciousness demonstrates a long memory. So, let’s Remember the Mimosa today.
Ironically, the history of Mimosa as a drink is hard to remember. Some claim it came from a bartender at the Ritz Carlton in the 1930’s. But, his recipe book seems to be missing the mimosa. We do know that its popularity soared in the 1960’s after Queen Elizabeth drank mimosas while visiting France. Ironically, there was a drink invented in London in the 1920’s called Buck’s Fizz that is the same drink. Technically, Buck’s Fizz has a ratio of 2 parts champagne to 1 part juice. While Mimosas are equal parts. But, over the years, there have been so many variations that there is no real difference between the 2 drinks.
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Remember the Mimosa today as we mimic conscious life
The mimosa flower is an apt symbol for the life most of us live. In the workaday world we live in, most people simply go through the motions. Its like “mimicking conscious life”. When people ask what you do for a living, most people answer with their job title. This is wrong in most cases. Living isn’t or shouldn’t be your occupation, it’s what you do to enjoy and engage in life. Stopping to smell the flowers, eating good food, and drinking mimosas sounds a heck of a lot more like living than I sit behind a desk typing things all day, or I work at XYZ corporation.
Granted, you can have a career that is something you love. But, once it becomes a career, you are up against expectations, deadlines, and external pressures. These all detract from really “living”. Unfortunately, most of us do have to work. So, try to strike a work/life balance. And, make sure that whatever you do for work provides some happiness. Plus, take into account that work should constitute a small percentage of your time. There are 168 hours in a week. If you get 8 hours of sleep per night, you have 112 waking hours. Let’s say you work 40 hours, and spend 2 to 3 hours between ablutions and getting to and from work. that still leaves you 50 hours of “living”. Plus, who really gets 8 hours of sleep consistently? So, make the most of those hours. And, start with a mimosa.
Ginger Key Lime Mimosa
Ingredients
- 16 Oz Champagne or other sparkling wine
- 16 Oz Orange Juice
- 4 Oz Lime Juice
- 2 Oz Honey
- 2 Oz Candied Ginger
- 4 Oz Ginger Liqueur
- 2 each Limes and oranges for garnish and muddling
- A mixture of 5 parts turbinado sugar and 1 part ginger powder to rim the glasses
Instructions
- Mix your sugar and ginger to rim the glasses. Cut slices of limes and oranges. And, put a slit in the slices so they can garnish the rim.
- Take a lime and moisten the rims of your glasses. Dip the rims in the sugar to create an even coating. Set aside.
- In a large pitcher, Muddle the candied ginger with 4 slices each of orange and lime. Then add in the honey, ginger liquor and Juices. Mix well with a spoon. Then add the Sparkling Wine. Strain into the rimmed glasses and garnish with lime and orange wheels. Drink and enjoy your day.