The Cosmopolitan Cocktail
The Cosmopolitan can be classified as a modern take on the Daisy cocktail family. Like traditional Daisies, the Cosmo uses orange liqueur as a sweetener and showcases a balance of spirit, citrus, and sweet, aligning with the Daisy's characteristic use of a sugared rim to complement the sweet and tart flavour profile.
The most believed origin story for the Cosmo is that Cheryl Cook, head bartender a dive bar on Miami Beach called Strand, came up with this idea for an Absolut Citron competition. Her cocktail called for vodka with a splash of Triple Sec, Rose’s Lime, and just enough cranberry to make it pretty.
While this cocktail originated with rail spirits and artificial lime cordial, it was upgraded by Dale Degroff of the famous Rainbow Room, who gave the cocktail the mixologists twist, upgrading it with fresh lime juice, Cointreau, and garnishing it with a flamed orange peel.
It’s this iteration that caught Carrie Bradshaw’s attention as it became one of the most popular cocktails in NYC.
How to Make a Cosmopolitan Cocktail
- You need a nice vodka. We recommend Nemiroff. Check out our brands page to find out why.
- You’ll also need limes, cranberry juice, and a nice orange liqueur like Cointreau or Dry Curacao.
- Lastly, you’ll need a shaking set and a cocktail glass. We recommend a two-piece tin on tin. Filth & Vermouth makes great kits and are proudly Canadian.
Bartender Tips
- Make sure the lime juice is fresh. Citrus juice begins to spoil immediately after you cut into the fruit. Try to never use juice that’s more than a day old.
Variations
A Cosmopolitan is already a variation of the Kamikaze cocktail, which only calls for vodka, lime, and triple sec.
Like any other cocktail, you could add interesting additions by muddling fresh fresh fruit and herbs.
You could also do what many bartenders refer to as Mr. Potato Heading, where you follow a ratio formula that you already know will work, but substitute one or two pieces, like in this case, using gin instead of vodka, or pineapple instead of cranberry.
