Sunday drinking is easy with brunch cocktails from Scottie’s On The River in Chattanooga

For many brunch-lovers, the meal is an excuse to drink alcohol earlier in the day than would normally be considered socially acceptable. Classic brunch drinks such as mimosas and Bloody Marys were originally created to conceal the fact that they contain alcohol.

These days, mimosas are often served in champagne glasses, with the idea all but forgotten that the drink was intended to appear to be simply orange juice. Even though the ruse is up and no one believes that’s straight tomato juice you’re drinking with your chicken and waffles, Bloody Marys and mimosas retain their status as the most popular brunch drinks. Occasionally, you’ll even happen upon bottomless mimosa or Bloody Mary options at brunch, with servers pacing the room, pitchers of these drinks in hand, to top off glasses as they quickly empty.

Both of these brunch go-to cocktails can be customized to your liking if your brunch spot has a Bloody Mary or mimosa bar, an increasingly popular brunch concept. The restaurant gives you a glass of vodka or sparkling wine to start with, and you’re invited to embellish it as you see fit from a buffet-style array of dozens of hot sauces, garnishes and fresh fruits and fruit purees set out on one side of the dining room. This is all intended to help you build your perfect tailor-made brunch cocktail.

Scottie’s On The River offers a Bloody Mary and mimosa bar, featuring more than 15 garnishes ranging from Tobasco-flavored Slim Jims to pickled quail eggs.

“We sell a lot of alcohol that day,” says Scottie’s executive chef Allyson Smith of their Sunday brunch, when the restaurant sells $5 Bloody Marys and $3 mimosas all day as a special. “We definitely go through a lot of fruit and a lot of pickles and hot sauces.”

Smith says she loves crafting her own bellinis with sparkling wine, peach puree and fresh peaches, and she occasionally opts for a poinsettia, a combination of sparkling wine and cranberry juice. “The freshness of the fruit just makes it a little treat,” she says of the mimosa bar, adding that she also likes building a spicy Bloody Mary with plenty of crunchy pickles.

If you’d rather rely on recipes developed by bartending professionals for your brunch beverages, Scottie’s also offers a plethora of tiki-themed specialty cocktails. Choose from seasonal creations like the Witchy Woman, a margarita crafted with Georgia-made Rattlesnake tequila and topped with a floater of sparkling red wine, or year-round favorites like the Radler Paloma, a tequila and grapefruit cocktail that pairs perfectly with brunch dishes. Try the boozy Raspberry Mojito made with sparkling wine, raspberries and rum, or the Tropical 77, a twist on the French 75 that features French cognac infused with passion fruit. While the drinks are best enjoyed on Scottie’s patio overlooking the water, here’s how to recreate a few of the restaurant’s tiki-tinged brunch cocktails at home.

Go to scottiesontheriver.net to learn more.

Tropical 77

1 ounce Gate 11 gin

1 ounce FAIR Passion Fruit Liqueur

½ ounce lime juice

½ ounce simple syrup

1 drop Burlesque Bitters

Prosecco

Add all ingredients except the prosecco to a shaker with ice, shake and strain into a coupe glass. Top with prosecco.

Radler Paloma

1 ½ ounces tequila

½ ounce simple syrup

½ ounce lime juice

Stiegl Radler beer

Add first three ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a salt-rimmed collins glass. Top with Stiegl Radler until ⅔ full. Add ice.

Raspberry Mojito

5-7 mint leaves, plus one for garnish

¾ ounce fresh lime juice

1 ¼ ounces raspberry simple syrup

2 ounces rum

Sparkling wine

2 raspberries for garnish

Add first four ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake lightly to incorporate. Pour into 16-ounce glass and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with raspberries and a mint leaf.

Witchy Woman

1 ½ ounces rattlesnake tea

¾ ounce lime juice

½ ounce pineapple juice

¾ ounce triple sec

Lambrusco wine

Dried orange for garnish

Sugar for rim

Add first four ingredients to shaker with ice, shake and strain into martini glass with sugar rim. Float small amount of Lambrusco on top of drink.