Is Alfred Hitchcock Responsible For Popularizing This Iconic Brunch Cocktail?

Legendary director Alfred Hitchcock popularized several things during his career including the suspense thriller film genre, focusing on themes that were taboo at the time, and the "dolly zoom" camera trick, which created intrigue and eeriness. Steven Spielberg has famously used the effect in films like "Jaws" and "E.T." One could even say Hitchcock popularized the human shadow silhouette. But is he the reason so many of us love mimosas? Perhaps. The rumor that he actually created the bubbly brunch cocktail is highly unlikely, but as someone in the spotlight who publicly enjoyed and praised the drink, he certainly spread awareness about it.

In 1921, a drink called the Buck's Fizz cocktail was invented in London. It contained two parts of champagne to one part orange juice. Most experts, though, credit the creation of the actual mimosa to Frank Meier, a bartender at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, who first made the drink in 1925 by combining equal parts of the two ingredients. He published his recipe in a 1936 cocktail book. In 1966, when Alfred Hitchcock was already well known throughout the world, he was interviewed by the London Express. The journalist reported that when he arrived for the interview, Hitchcock was waiting, "drinking mimosas and smoking an eight-inch cigar." Reading this would have surely intrigued his fans, many of whom presumably sought out the cocktail, if they hadn't already heard of it. The mimosa became popular for drinking in the morning, particularly with brunch. Interestingly enough, mimosas are excellent with quiche Lorraine, an egg dish that Hitchcock loved (meanwhile, raw eggs and runny yolks horrified him).

While Alfred Hitchcock let the world know his affinity for mimosas in 1966, he wasn't the most famous person to share his taste for them. In 1961, the Sydney Morning Herald published an article detailing the dining habits of fellow Brit, Queen Elizabeth II. According to the report, she, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Queen Mother all enjoyed sipping the champagne and orange juice concoction, but they preferred theirs much later in the day as a pre-dinner cocktail. Queen Elizabeth also famously drank a glass of champagne (sans the orange juice) on a daily basis. Apparently, it was Earl Mountbatten of Burma who introduced the Queen to the drink during a visit to Southern France.

As mimosas grew in popularity, variations of the drink were born. From altering the ratio of champagne to orange juice, to using different fruit juices, there are now dozens of ways to tailor the classic cocktail. Blood orange juice makes a beautifully colored and slightly bitter drink; pomegranate, cherry, and cranberry juice make the cocktail ruby red and brightly flavored. Non-alcoholic versions are easily made by combining orange juice with sparkling water (we ranked our favorite seltzers and sparkling water brands, from worst to best). With so many different ways to make them, mimosas are almost always a part of any celebrations that take place before noon, from weddings and bridal showers to holidays like Easter and Mother's Day. And don't forget to include them the next time you host a Hitchcock-watch party.