Too much of anything is bad. But too much champagne is just right.
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
While sitting in the stands on a Saturday in Greenville, North Carolina you will have the chance to experience of the greatest entrances in college football. Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” begins to play as a light purple mist slowly makes its way across the field. Finally a wave of purple uniforms will break through the mist and across the field. This is East Carolina Football & this is one of the many great things about the university.
Besides their extremely unique football entrance, East Carolina is also known for their tailgates. It is not uncommon for Pirate fans to roll into their tailgate spots by 6:30am to begin preparing for battle. In a sea of purple and gold you will find corn hole games, hamburgers on the grill & music blaring throughout; it is truly a great time for all that attend.
Inspired by both my mans’ alma mater as well as his love for giving his Sunday brunch mimosas a splash of vodka, I give you the ultimate Purple Haze Mimosas!
These mimosas are made with 5 simple ingredients. Blueberry simple syrup creates the purple ombre look throughout the drink then you have a very generous amount of champagne as well as a splash of pineapple juice & vodka for flavor. Garnish the cocktail off with fresh blueberries & voila, you have the perfect tailgate drink!
Is there anything more satisfying than watching the bubbles form in a glass of champagne? I could look at it for days!
How to achieve the Purple Haze Ombre look:
The key to creating the perfect “Purple Haze” for your mimosa is to add a splash of blueberry simple syrup at the beginning and then again at the end. This allows the simple syrup to give your champagne a light purple tint and then creates a dark purple ombre look at the bottom of the glass at the end.
The splash of vodka is completely up to your preference.
For the longest time I joked with my man he always added the splash of vodka so it would make his mimosa more manly but after trying one, I completely get the love for it. It adds the perfect kick to your drink that makes you wake up instantly and prepare for the day.
You can make these mimosas 1 of 2 ways:
- The amount of ingredients in this specific recipe will make a mimosa large enough for one person.
- This amount also makes enough for 3 champagne glasses worth of mimosas. So if you want to be nice and share with friends, you can!
Whether you are tailgating and need a solid wake up drink or you just want to add some flavor to your Sunday brunch, these Purple Haze Mimosas are for you!
ENJOY!
- 3/4 cup champagne aka 187mL mini bottle
- 1/8 cup pineapple juice (or less based on preference)
- 1 tbsp blueberry simple syrup
- vodka, a splash (optional)
- fresh blueberries for garnish
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
-
Into a sauce pan add your sugar, blueberries and water.
-
Stir ingredients and bring to a boil.
-
Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.
-
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain blueberries from liquid.
-
Store simple syrup in an airtight container for up to 1 month in refrigerator.
-
Into glass add half of your blueberry simple syrup.
-
Next slowly pour in your champagne, allow to completely stop fizzing before adding in your pineapple juice.
-
Finally pour the remaining simple syrup directly in the center of your drink. This will allow the syrup to sink to the bottom creating am ombre effect in your glass.
-
If you want to make give your drink an extra kick, add a splash of vodka!
-
Garnish with fresh blueberries. Serve & enjoy!
*This recipe either makes 1 large drink or 2.5-3 champagne glasses worth. If you are making the smaller glass version you will want to up the simple syrup to 2 tablespoons to make sure you create that "haze" effect.*