We love the classic 1990s Cosmopolitan Cocktail. A Cosmo is made with vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry juice and fresh lime juice. This fun, pink drink became famous from HBO’s Sex and the City. A Cosmopolitan is tart, fresh and not too sweet. It’s the perfect drink to serve at dinner parties and girls’ nights.

Related:Appletini, Lychee Martini, Espresso Martini, Chocolate Martini, Lemon Drop Martini, French Martini, Vesper Martini.

History of the Cosmopolitan Cocktail

The modern day Cosmo is a variation of the 1930s cocktail called Cosmopolitan 1934 which was made using gin, Cointreau, lemon juice and raspberry syrup.

According to Gary Regan, the Cosmopolitan as we know it today was first mixed in 1985 by Miami bartender, Cheryl Cook. At the time Cook was working at a South Beach bar called The Strand. She created the Cosmopolitan as a variation of the Kamikaze with an added splash of cranberry juice.

Others believe the Cosmo was invented by Dale DeGroff at New York City’s Rainbow Room. Still other’s say it was first mixed by bartender Toby Cecchini in the late 1980s. Cecchini mixed his cosmo with Absolut Citron vodka, a citrus flavored vodka along with cranberry juice, orange liqueur and lime juice.

The drink became a staple for New York City sophistication thanks to Sex and the City‘s Carrie Bradshaw in the 1990s. It has remained extremely popular ever since.

Cosmopolitan Ingredients

• VodkaChoose unflavored or citrus flavored vodka.
• Orange LiqueurSuch as Cointreau, Triple Sec or Grand Marnier.
• Cranberry JuiceCranberry Juice Cocktail (not 100% cranberry juice)
• Lime Juicefreshly squeezed.
• Orange Peel(optional) for garnish

You can use any brand of vodka you prefer for this cocktail. We recommend a top shelf vodka such as Grey Goose.

How to make a Cosmopolitan

In a cocktail shaker with ice, add the vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry juice and lime juice.

Shake until the shaker feels very cold in your hands or 10-15 seconds.

Strain into a martini glass or coupe glass and garnish with an orange peel.

Orange Twist Garnish

And here’s how I make those little orange spirals. You can buy a fancy peeler or a potato peeler to scrape off a large piece of orange peel, and then simply use my kitchen shears to cut strips and curl them.

Tips for Making

• Chilled Cocktail Glass A chilled cocktail glass elevates any cocktail. Place your glass in the freezer for 30 minutes to 2 hours before you serve your drink.
• Simple SyrupIf this recipe is too stiff for you try adding half an ounce or more of simple syrup before shaking.
• White CosmoA popular variation of the cosmo is the White Cosmo. Swap St-Germain in place of orange liqueur and use white cranberry juice (in place of red) to make one.

More Cranberry Drinks

• Cape Codder (Vodka Cranberry)
• Sea Breeze Cocktail
• Bay Breeze Cocktail
• Vegas Bomb
• Cranberry Mimosa

More Classic Cocktails

• Manhattan Drink
• Aviation Cocktail
• Sidecar Drink
• Old Fashioned

Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is a Cosmopolitan made of?

A Cosmo is made of vodka, orange liqueur (such as Cointreau), cranberry juice cocktail and lime juice.

What is the difference between a Cosmo and a Vodka cranberry?

A Cosmopolitan is a stiffer martini that is more spirit forward. A Vodka Cranberry is more juice based and served in a tall glass. They both contain cranberry juice and vodka, but otherwise they are very different.

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#wprm-recipe-user-rating-1 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * fill: #343434; #wprm-recipe-user-rating-1 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-33 svg * fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-1-33); #wprm-recipe-user-rating-1 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-50 svg * fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-1-50); #wprm-recipe-user-rating-1 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-66 svg * fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-1-66); linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-1-33 stop stop-color: #343434; linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-1-50 stop stop-color: #343434; linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-1-66 stop stop-color: #343434; 4.86 from 14 votes PrintGet the Recipe A Cosmo is a balanced cocktail made with vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry juice and fresh lime juice. Yield 1 cocktailPrep 4 minutes minsCook 1 minute minTotal 5 minutes mins Ingredients1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 ounces vodka
• ▢ 1 ounce Cointreau (or orange liqueur )
• ▢ 1 ounce cranberry juice
• ▢ ½ ounce lime juice
• ▢ orange peel (for garnish)

US CustomaryMetric Equipment

• ▢ 1 cocktail shaker

Instructions

• In a cocktail shaker with ice, add the vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry juice and lime juice.
• Shake until the shaker feels very cold in your hands or 10-15 seconds.
• Strain into a martini glass or coupe glass and garnish with an orange peel.

Notes

• Chilled Cocktail Glass A chilled cocktail glass elevates any cocktail. Place your glass in the freezer for 30 minutes to 2 hours before you serve your drink.
• Simple SyrupIf this recipe is too stiff for you try adding half an ounce to one ounce of simple syrup before shaking.

© Author Emma ChapmanCourse DrinksCuisine AmericanKeywords cocktail recipe, cosmo, Cosmopolitan Cocktail, Cosmopolitan Drink, Cosmopolitan Recipe Nutrition .wprm-nutrition-label-layout .wprmp-nutrition-label-block-line background-color: #333333; .wprm-nutrition-label-layout .wprmp-nutrition-label-block-nutrient border-top-color: #333333; Nutrition FactsCosmopolitan RecipeAmount per ServingCalories167% Daily Value*Fat 0.1g0%Polyunsaturated Fat 0.02gMonounsaturated Fat 0.01gSodium 1mg0%Potassium 43mg1%Carbohydrates 10g3%Fiber 0.03g0%Sugar 9g10%Protein 0.1g0%Vitamin A 13IU0%Vitamin C 3mg4%Calcium 2mg0%Iron 0.1mg1%* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

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