Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe By Chef Team ZZ

About the Cosmopolitan 

Although popularized after getting picked by HBO and widely perceived to be a modern creation, there are five different cocktails named cosmopolitan which appear in Pioneers of mixing at Elite Bars 1903- 1933, published in 1934 and interestingly 4 out of these 5 cocktails had a red/pink appearance. Although the recipe named Daisy, includes a spirit, sweetener and citrus shown in the book is the most similar to today’s cosmopolitan. 
Another direct connection can be made to the Harpoon cocktail from 1968, a drink promoted by Ocean Spray which included an ounce of vodka, an ounce of cranberry and a squeeze of lime, but still missing the sweet Cointreau of the Cosmo.

There’s no official proof of where the drink actually originates from; there are multiple stakeholders of this creation, some being Cheryl Cook, Neal Murray, and John Caine but whatever may have actually happened, the formal invention of the Cosmo occurred in 1987 when Toby Cecchini made the drink while working at the famous Odeon in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighbourhood.

Cointreau vs. triple sec

Cointreau is a premium brand of triple sec, which is one of many types of orange liqueurs and is better balanced between bitter and sweet. It's stronger, drier, and less sweet than other brands, Cointreau will also make for a stronger or less diluted drink, drawing attention to the orange without wearing away the vodka’s quiet strength.

Pro tips

1. For an enhanced taste, you can opt for Cointreau instead of Triple Sec.
2. If you like to keep things sweeter and zesty, we suggest you use pink lemonade instead of cranberry juice. This will also give the drink a paler pink colour, 
3. For the zesty fresh flavour, make sure you use freshly squeezed lime juice.
4. The drink is better when enjoyed icy cold but make sure you use bigger cubes of ice to keep from diluting it. 
5. If pink is not your thing, replace triple sec with blue curacao and normal cranberry juice with white cranberry juice respectively to get yourself a pretty blue drink.
6. Smoke the peel a bit and then spritz over the glass and across the drink for that smoky aroma. 
7. The Cosmo is a shaken cocktail, make sure to not stir. 
8. If you’d like to spice things up, may we recommend replacing the vodka with falernum, a Bajan liqueur.

Recap

Directions 

1. Fill up the mixing glass with ice
2. Add 45ml of vodka to a mixing glass
3. Add 15ml triple sec
4. Add 5ml lime
5. Add 45ml cranberry juice
6. Shake it well
7. Take a coupe glass and add a clear ice cube
8. Double strain the drink into a coupe glass
   Garnish with an orange spiral