Best Brunch Beverages
Serve sweet fizzy drinks, spicy cocktails, spiked teas and fresh fruit beverages to accompany your brunch buffet.
Photo By: Stephen Murello ©Stephen Murello
Photo By: Stephen Murello ©Stephen Murello
Photo By: Stephen Murello ©Stephen Murello
Photo By: Stephen Murello ©Stephen Murello
Photo By: Stephen Murello ©Stephen Murello
Photo By: Stephen Murello ©Stephen Murello
Photo By: Stephen Murello
Photo By: Stephen Murello ©Stephen Murello
Photo By: Stephen Murello ©Stephen Murello
©David Loftus
Photo By: Evan Sung for The New York Times
Photo By: Kathryn Cooper
Orange Cream Mimosas
Tyler Florence spiffs up the always-refreshing brunch classic by tossing in a scoop of homemade orange cream sorbet. Sweet and creamy, it's the ultimate crowd-pleaser.
Get the Recipe: Orange Cream Mimosa
Red Wine Sangria
Tia Mowry's sangria gets a tropical flair from pineapple juice, but also includes classic ingredients like brandy, peaches, plums and limes.
Get the Recipe: Red Wine Sangria
Peach Ginger Bellini
Give your brunch-time Bellini a bit of zing with Tyler's ginger-infused simple syrup.
Get the Recipe: Peach Ginger Bellini
Sunrise Mimosa
You probably won't be up for brunch when the sun rises, but you can layer mango and pomegranate in your cocktail to get a similarly gorgeous visual. Bonus: It's delicious, too.
Get the Recipe: Sunrise Mimosa
Sparkling Sangria de Cava
Daisy Martinez stirs up her sparkling sangria with fresh berries and adds an extra kick with peach brandy.
Get the Recipe: Sparkling Wine Sangria (Sangria de Cava)
Gazpacho Bloody Maria
Is this a soup or a cocktail? It's somewhere in between and is packed with quite a punch of tequila. Ay yi yi!
Get the Recipe: Gazpacho Bloody Maria
Blackberry-Bourbon Iced Tea
Get the Recipe: Blackberry-Bourbon Iced Tea
Michelada
Hot sauce and horseradish bring the heat, but brown ale and fresh lime juice help keep things under control. This brunch cocktail is all about balance.
Get the Recipe: Michelada
Strabellini
Spare the peach, please! Darryl Robinson does it up with fresh strawberries and zingy strawberry vodka instead.
Get the Recipe: Strabellini
Sinless Sangria
Kelsey Nixon's virgin sangria starts with a base of sparkling grape juice. Cranberry, lime and orange juices give it a sweet tang and color. Kelsey mixes in strawberries, citrus and mint, but feel free to use any fruit and fresh herbs you have on hand.
Get the Recipe: Sinless Sangria
Spicy Bloody Bull
Get the Recipe: Bloody Bull
Champagne Sangria
Get the Recipe: It's a Wonderful Sangria
Mint Lemonade
Laura Calder uses a lemon syrup to flavor her lemonade, then mixes it into iced water garnished with mint and citrus peel. Keep leftover syrup in the refrigerator for on-demand lemonade.
Get the Recipe: Better Than Citron Presse
Fresh Strawberry Bellini
Simple and yet so satisfying, Mario Batali's Bellini comes together with only two ingredients: pureed strawberries and Prosecco.
Bloody Maria
Heat alert! This drink has whole jalapenos as a garnish and jalapeno-infused ice cubes, too. Count on the lemon-infused vodka to cool things off.
Get the Recipe: Michael's Bloody Maria
Raspberry Limeade with Lavender and Mint
Get the Recipe: Raspberry Limeade with Lavender and Mint
Icebreaker Mojito
Mix up this midsummer sip when the watermelons hit the farm stand. Throw in cubes of the juicy fruit with pineapple, lime and mint — it's like a rum-spiked fruit salad!
Get the Recipe: Icebreaker Mojitos
Rhubarb Water
This simple drink tastes like early summer. Infuse water with fresh rhubarb overnight and flavor it with sugar and lemon juice.
Get the Recipe: Rhubarb Water
Limoncello Spritzer
Get the Recipe: Limoncello Spritzer
Nini Bellini
Jamie's classic Bellini has just two ingredients: peaches and Prosecco. It's perfect for brunch or anytime during peach season.
Get the Recipe: Nini Bellini
Agua Fresca
These blended fruity drinks are prevalent throughout Mexico, sold on the street and in restaurants alike. Mark Bittman makes his with cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew and pineapple.
Get the Recipe: Agua Fresca
The Donatella Cocktail
Get the Recipe: The Donatella Cocktail
Orange Peel Wine
Get the Recipe: Orange Peel Wine
Mote con Huesillos
Dried peaches (huesillos) are soaked overnight, then poached in a light syrup with caramelized sugar to form the base of this popular Chilean summer dessert beverage.
Get the Recipe: Mote con Huesillos
Elderflower Sparkler
Counter hot afternoons with Kelsey's cool sparkler made with pink grapefruit, sparkling water and elderflower syrup.
Get the Recipe: Elderflower Sparkler
Earl Grey Spritzer
Skip the hot stuff, and opt instead for Bobby Flay's tea-flavored summer spritzer made with Earl Grey tea, champagne, sugar and lemon.
Get the Recipe: Earl Grey Spritzer
Mixed Berry Iced Tea
Berries are cooked down with sugar to make a refreshing iced tea. Keep things cold with strawberry ice cubes that add even more fruity flavor to the tea instead of just diluting it.
Get the Recipe: Mixed Berry Iced Tea