This Is How Tropicana Wants Us To Make Mimosas

Many food gadgets seem to solve problems that no one had: Banana slicers, pancake batter dispensers, and needlessly gross egg separators, to name a few. Now, Tropicana is conducting a limited-time giveaway of the most unasked for gadget of them all: an orange juice spray bottle kit for mimosas.

Likely inspired by an unfortunate TikTok trend we previously discussed, the idea is that the spray nozzle offers three settings so you may better customize your OJ-to-champagne ratio. Tropicana's kit, available November 6-10, includes a 12-ounce bottle of juice with a diffuser that can be set to Whisper, Spritz, or Shower. It also comes with two glasses and two paper straws. While you have to be 21 or older to enter the giveaway, the kit doesn't include sparkling wine, making this the equivalent of having to be 18 or older to buy a cigarette holder—smokes not included.

I reached out to a friend who previously worked behind the bar of a very popular Chicago brunch spot to see if there was any logic behind the sprayed juice concept.

"The short answer: It makes zero sense," he said. "If people want light OJ, it should be a splash, ideally from a speed pour at a bar. Typically the ratio is 1 ounce of OJ to 5 ounces bubbles. At home, people can pour it, spray it, just whisper it, whatever they like."

Instead of disparaging Tropicana for its harebrained marketing scheme, maybe we should applaud the brand for suggesting we expand our mimosa horizons even further. In a post-Pinterest era, we've seen the explosion of mimosa bars that already introduce a bevy of new options: different juices, fruit and herb garnishes, and even new and horrible names ("Momosas" for baby showers and "Christmosas" for being insufferable at the holidays).

Perhaps what Tropicana is really asking is that we consider how else we could be dispensing mimosas—especially if we're already planning to eschew any sort of bartender best practice and ignore recommended measurements and traditional ingredients.

Yes, you can pour your juice into the glass like any old Tom, Dick, or Harry. Or, you can tread unexplored mimosa-making territory by spraying, squirting, or, as my friend suggested, simply whispering the word "juice" into your glass.

Since I was not the lucky recipient of a PR kit from Tropicana, I had to search for my own spray bottle to try this mimosa trend. I actually stumbled on one of those little empty travel kits they sell at drug stores. These come with squeeze bottles, spray bottles (sans adjustable nozzle), and other TSA-approved containers. It dawned on me: Why not use this as my on-the-go mimosa kit?

The squeeze bottle option was honestly kind of fun and pretty easy to control for the ideal ratio, albeit less, well, classy in its dispensing style. A good option for tailgating if you aren't afraid of losing your OJ dispenser among the ketchup and mustard bottles.

The spray bottle did feel classier, like when a bartender spritzes vermouth into a martini glass, and the visual effect was actually very cool. The juice trickled down the inside of the glass and through the champagne bubbles, almost like candle wax. Much more amusing than adding a splash of juice directly from its carton.

In a world where we can't get enough options, this is one more area in which to have a little fun. Nothing will ever beat a classic recipe, but it's always nice to think outside the juice box.