Cosmopolitan (cocktail)
| IBA official cocktail | |
|---|---|
 A Cosmopolitan. | |
| Type | Cocktail |
| Base spirit | |
| Served | Straight up: chilled, without ice |
| Standard garnish | Lemon slice |
| Standard drinkware | .svg) |
| IBA specified ingredients† |
|
| Preparation | Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into large cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon slice. |
A Cosmopolitan is a cocktail made with vodka, Triple Sec, cranberry juice, and fresh-squeezed lime juice or sweetened lime juice. Informally, it is referred to as a Cosmo.
History
This origins of the Cosmopolitan are somewhat disputed. According to the International Bartenders Association the original recipe is based on Absolut Citron, a lemon-flavored vodka.
Most sources credit South Beach, Florida bartender Cheryl Cook with the original creation;[1] although the drink was common in gay bars in the late 70s and early 80s. In an online interview,[2] Cheryl Cook states she created the drink in 1985 or 1986:
What overwhelmed me was the number of people who ordered Martinis just to be seen with a Martini glass in their hand. It was on this realization that gave me the idea to create a drink that everyone could palate and was visually stunning in that classic glass. This is what the Cosmo was based on.
Her original recipes called for "Absolut Citron, a splash of Triple Sec, a drop of roses lime and just enough cranberry to make it oh so pretty in pink."[2]
The next person involved in the creation of the drink was Toby Cecchini[2][3] of Manhattan. While working at The Odeon in 1987/1988, Cecchini worked from a poorly described version of Cook's original drink, and developed a slightly different version using Cointreau and fresh-squeezed lime juice. Cecchini's version has become the common standard method for preparing the drink.[4]
The Cosmopolitan gained popularity fairly quickly, traveling from Miami to San Francisco, to New York.[2] It really gained in popularity in the 1990s, and was further popularized among young women by its frequent mention on the television program Sex and the City.
The Cosmopolitan is a descendant of the Cold War's Cape Codder and the respectable sibling of the Kamikaze. In the 1970's the gay community in Provincetown, Massachusetts, is credited with its invention. The popularity of the Cosmopolitan quickly traveled from New England to New York and then across the country. The original recipe calls for Vodka, Roses Lime juice, Cointreau, cranberry juice, lemon twist.
Preparation and serving
The Cosmopolitan is usually served in a large cocktail glass, also called a martini glass. For this reason, the drink is sometimes mistakenly categorized as a type of martini.
Mix 2 parts lemon vodka to one part triple sec combined with one part cranberry and the juice of half a lime. Cointreau may be used but is twice the price of a "standard" triple sec. Drinkers may think this is being cheap, but any bartender who knows the trade will know the taste is cleaner and more citrusy. Gran Marnier produces a very sweet and cloying version and should be avoided. The cranberry merely adds colour and should not dilute the alcohol content of the drink.
A wedge of lemon or lime, or a twist of orange or lemon peel, are commonly used to garnish. Traditionally a coin sized piece of orange should be "flamed" across the top of the drink. This coats the drink with a slick of citrus oil, but also produces a flame, which is great for bar "circus", and usually gets many admiring glances.
Variations
- One variation is to squeeze a lime wedge into the chilled cocktail glass instead of including it with the ingredients to be shaken.
- The original version calls for Rose's lime juice instead of fresh lime juice, and Triple Sec instead of Cointreau.
- Sour mix may be substituted for either type of lime juice.
- A blue cosmopolitan may be made by using white cranberry juice instead of standard red juice, and blue curaçao in place of the triple sec.
- A Cosmocello substitutes limoncello for the lime juice.
Popular culture
- Demeter Fragrance Library has created a cologne intended to smell like the Cosmopolitan cocktail.
- Sarah Jessica Parker's Sex and the City character, Carrie Bradshaw, commonly orders the drink when out with her girlfriends. In the episode "Sex and the Country", Carrie goes to a drive-through diner and jokingly orders, "A cheese burger, large fries and a cosmopolitan please?".
- In The Office episode, "The Convention", Michael Scott makes cosmos in his hotel room. In a deleted scene, he claims "Cosmos! Just like Carrie Bradshaw"
- In the Simpsons episode Midnight Towboy, Homer orders Moe's fanciest drink - a Lobsterpolitan.
See also
References
- ^ Schwartz, Arthur. "The Frustrated Bartender" (June 30, 1999). The Food Maven Diary. Retrieved December 31, 2006
- ^ a b c d Regan, Gary and Mardee Haidin Regan. The Birth of the Cosmopolitan: A Tale of Two Bartenders (October 2006) Ardent Spirits e-letter Vol. 7, Issue 6. Retrieved December 31, 2006
- ^ Cecchini, Toby. "Cosmopolitan: A Bartender's Life". New York: Broadway, 2003.
- ^ International Bartenders Association Official Cocktail recipe. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
External links
- Absolut Cosmopolitan - A higher proof version of the recipe.