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Buck's Fizz

Barbeque · Champagne · Citrusy

3.8 37 ratings

Ingredients

3 1/3 oz Brut sparkling wine
1 2/3 oz Orange juice

How to make

Serve in a flute glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select a FLUTE GLASS.
  2. 2 Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

Method

  1. 3 POUR half the sparkling wine into chilled glass.
  2. 4 POUR orange juice.
  3. 5 TOP with the rest of the sparkling wine.

Garnish

  1. 6 EXPRESS flamed orange zest twist over cocktail then discard.

Flavour profile

7.3% alc./vol. · 0.7 standard drinks · 87 calories

History

A very simple cocktail, great for brunch with freshly squeezed orange juice served chilled. Fine strain the juice.

Buck's Fizz and Mimosa share two ingredients, with only proportions and the serving of the Mimosa over ice distinguishing them. While evidence for the origins of either is slight, their chronological appearance in cocktail books suggests Buck's Fizz came first. Malachi "Pat" MacGarry, bartender at London's Buck's Club, is credited with creating Buck's Fizz in 1921. The Buck's Club opened in June 1919. Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book lists it among 21 "fizzes" with the instructions: "¼ glass orange juice, fill with champagne" served in a "long tumbler". Notably, Craddock does not list a Mimosa but includes a "London Buck Cocktail," also in a "long tumbler," with "1 lump ice, 1 glass dry gin, the juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 split [small bottle] of ginger ale." The mention of the London Buck, also known as a Gin Buck or Ginger Rogers, serves as a reminder that "Buck" is an old name for mixed drinks lengthened with ginger ale. Buck's Fizz, a Fizz made at the Buck's Club, belongs to the Fizz family, not the Buck family. Some have mistakenly believed a Buck can be lengthened with either ginger ale or citrus juice, but a Buck is made with ginger ale or ginger beer, not citrus juice. "Buck" is the given name of Buck's Fizz, not its surname. Frank Meier's 1936 Artistry of Mixing Drinks also lists Buck's Fizz as one of 32 Fizzes. This is the earliest known book to feature both Buck's Fizz and Mimosa. BUCKS FIZZ In shaker: the juice of one-half Orange, one-half teaspoon sugar, one-half glass of Gin; shake well, strain into fizz glass, fill with Champagne. Both The Savoy Cocktail Book and Frank Meier's book also list a Valencia cocktail, similar to Mimosa and Buck's Fizz but shaken and including "one-half glass of Apricot Brandy." W. J. Tarling's 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book offers the next notable Buck's Fizz recipe: "Pour into a tumbler. Two tablespoons orange juice. Fill with champagne." Tarling does not mention the Mimosa. The 1953 The U.K.B.G. Guide to Drinks lists Buck's Fizz with instructions to use a "long glass" and to "add 1 cube ice". Across these various book entries, the general agreement is that Buck's Fizz contains a higher proportion of champagne than Mimosa and is served straight-up, whereas Mimosa is served with ice. In the UK, the country of its origin, Buck's Fizz was extremely popular throughout the 1980s, leading to pre-mixed bottled versions sold in supermarkets, where they are still available today. Buck's Fizz also became a popular wedding reception drink, prepared in large batches by caterers using warm concentrate orange juice. The use of poor-quality orange juice and inexpensive sparkling wine has nearly ruined both Buck's Fizz and Mimosa.

Also known as Mimosa · Created by Pat McGarry