The 2-Ingredient Brunch Drink That Blows Mimosas Out Of The Water

Breakfast can be a challenge to find time for, lunch can become rushed, and dinner can quickly become ordinary, but brunch is a celebration. Brunch is an excuse to experiment with some truly amazing recipes that don't really fit into any other meal, and it's where frittatas and grilled cheese are served alongside French toast, buttermilk biscuits, quiche, and sometimes, there's also tacos involved.

There are also brunch cocktails, and it's no secret that some are better than others. Your stomach might turn at the thought of a Bloody Mary, and you might have not-so-fond memories of a tequila sunrise, but a classic mimosa is almost always a win. It's simple — just orange juice and sparkling wine — but what if we said there was one brunch drink that was just as easy and arguably better? There's a contender for the favorite OJ-based brunch drink, and it's called the Garibaldi.

A Garibaldi keeps the orange juice, and instead of the sparkling wine, it's mixed with Campari, an Italian liqueur that's one of the main ingredients in a classic negroni. The exact ingredients are a well-kept secret, but Campari — which is often sipped alone in addition to being added to cocktails — is described as having a bitter citrus flavor with added notes of clove, cinnamon, cherry, and orange.

Initially, the Garibaldi was made with equal parts Campari and orange juice, but since the Italian liqueur's bitterness can be a little overpowering, many recipes call for using only about 1½ ounces of Campari for the glass of orange juice. Also key is aerating the orange juice to create a frothiness, which can be done with a juicer, blender, or frother. Freshly squeezed is, of course, best, but if you don't have that on hand, it will still make for a delicious cocktail.

The Garibaldi gets its name from an Italian freedom fighter named Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose storied life includes (among other things) a decade-long exile to South America and being credited with the unification of Italy in the mid-to-late 1800s, and that's where the drink comes in.

No one's entirely sure who first created the cocktail, but the drink's color is said to be a nod to Garibaldi's Redshirts. Campari — a liqueur from the north — is paired with orange juice meant to represent the signature crop of Sicily in a unification that pays homage to the historical unification spearheaded by the cocktail's namesake. The drink itself comes together as a refreshing citrus cocktail with a kick of bitterness, and here's a pro tip: Add just a pinch of salt to help bring it all together.