How to Make the Cosmopolitan

The classic Cosmopolitan cocktail might have been the cocktail of the 1990’s, but it has never stopped being popular!  Its glorious color and sweet-tart flavor has kept it in the running!

Carrie Bradshaw and everyone on Sex and the City may have introduced us to this pink drink, but it has grown to be one of the most popular cocktails of all time. Who invented it is anyone’s guess? The triumvirate of famous bartenders have all laid a claim to it: Dale Degroff at the Rainbow Room in New York City, Gary Regan in San Francisco and Toby Cecchini during his stint at the New York’s Odeon restaurant. The winner may be Cheryl Cook at The Strand Restaurant in South Beach, Florida.

Whoever created the Cosmo cocktail, since that time, it has been the perfect cocktail at every girls’ night and one of the easiest cocktail recipes to make at home for a dinner party!

What goes into a Cosmopolitan?

The color comes from cranberry juice and the zing from vodka, but here is a list of simple ingredients that make up the Cosmopolitan cocktail recipe.

• Citron Vodka: I suggest using Citron Vodka (Absolute Citron is one) or a citrus vodka for that subtle hint of lemon or lime. You can use plain vodka like Absolut or Grey Goose as well.
• Orange Liqueur: For a deeper, richer Cosmopolitan drink, Cointreau is the one to use. You can also get away with Triple Sec. It adds both a sweet orange taste, as well as a slight bitterness from the orange peel.
• Cranberry juice: Any cranberry juice can do. In the USA, you can find Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice cocktail or an unsweetened cranberry juice for a less sweet cocktail recipe.
• Fresh lime juice: Fresh fruit juice is a must – never use anything but!

What tools you need to make Cosmopolitan

You’ll be needing a cocktail shaker for this one! Also grab a jigger, a barspoon, a stainer and a Martini Glass for this easy recipe.

Add citron vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, and fresh lime juice to a cocktail shaker. Then add ice cubes and seal the shaker with a lid. Shake for about a minute or more as you like. Strain the drink into a chilled martini glass or a cocktail glass. Garnish with lime slice or lemon twist and serve. Bottoms up!

• 🍸Top Tip(le)s and hints:
  • It’s best if you put the vodka in the freezer to get it really cold beforehand.
  • Raspberry syrup: You add a touch of raspberry syrup to make it even redder and give it a slightly tart flavor as well.
  • Orange zest and peel: Add orange zest, twist, or orange bitters. The flavors of orange infuse the drink and give it a sweeter flavor.
  • Sugar syrup: For a hint of sweetness, you can use simple syrup of maple syrup as well.

Where to find more Martini recipes

You can find loads of other martini recipes to try! Here are a few of my favorite cocktails:

• The classic of classics: The Classic Gin Martini
• The super popular: The Espresso Martini
• James Bond’s go-to Martini: The Vodka Martini
• The Citrus Martini in a Shot: The Lemon Drop Martini Shot
• Try the Vesper Martini if you love Vermouth
• The Naughty Porn Star Martini
• The Martini of the Moment: The Gibson Martini
• My absolute fave: The Dirty Martini

 Plus more Cosmo recipes here

Where to find ingredients for Cosmopolitan cocktails

You can find all the ingredients at Spirits Kiosk (10% off the entire site by quoting this code: ALushLife10SK.) in the UK; or Saucey.com in the USA!

Here is the recipe!

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