I’ve always thought a cosmopolitan cocktail was a slightly deceptive. Hear me out! The first time I ordered one I honestly didn’t know what was in it—I had just heard the name cosmo before, so I thought I’d give it a try.
Given that the cocktail is pink, I thought it would be some version of a very sweet martini. Not so! This cosmopolitan recipe is actually a very balanced drink with just a little sweetness from Cointreau (orange flavored triple sec) and the sweet and sour blend of cranberry juice. Although a cosmopolitan cocktail is sweeter than sipping vodka, it’s not a very sweet drink at all.
Related: 45+ Fun Cocktails to Make at Home and 12 Easy Martini Recipes.
The cosmopolitan drink was invented by bartender Toby Cecchini in the 1980s. Although it gained a lot of popularity and became a simple for New York sophistication thanks to Sex and the City‘s Carrie Bradshaw.
Ingredients
- Vodka
- Cointreau
- Cranberry juice
- Lime juice
- Orange peel – for garnish
You can use any brand of vodka you prefer for this cocktail.
How to make a Cosmopolitan
- In a cocktail shaker, add the vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, lime juice, and ice. Shake until the shaker feels very cold in your hands.
- Strain into a martini glass or coupe and garnish.
And here’s how I make those little orange spirals. You can buy a fancy peeler to assist with this, but as I have been KonMari-ing my kitchen this year I found I just don’t use that kind of thing enough to have it at home.
So, I use 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.
This would be too labor intensive to be practical if you were bartending and busy, but if you’re just shaking up a small number of these or have time to make these orange spirals ahead I’d do it because they really do elevate the drink just a little. I mean, THEY ARE CUTE.
I like to serve this cosmopolitan recipe in a martini glass (bonus points if you chill the glass in your freezer beforehand), but a coupe is really cute too. Whatever you serve this cosmo in, enjoy—cheers!
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Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1 ounce Cointreau
- 1 ounce cranberry juice
- ½ ounce lime juice
- orange peel (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add the vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, lime juice, and ice. Shake until the shaker feels very cold in your hands.
- Strain into a martini glass or coupe and garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
This drink is adorable!! Perfect classic cosmo, so girly and cute. I featured it in my latest blog post about planning a bachelorette party – check it out here: https://www.twofunnygirls.com/blog/2020/02/19/plan-a-bachelorette-party-for-your-bff/ ! Thanks again for sharing this recipe!
I’ve never really gotten into cosmos either but I’ve always thought they look very pretty/classy! I may give this one a try ???? I love the little flamingo stirrers too! Happy weekend!
Thank you! And I agree, I love how they look just as much as how they taste. Such a pretty drink.
Great recipe as always! Love how photogenic the drinks are. 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com