Sours · Vodka · IBA official
Pale coral pink, frosty and sharp, with lemon and orange oils on the nose and a dry cranberry finish. Made well, it is far more tart and grown-up than its reputation suggests.
1¼ oz
citrus vodka
½ oz
Cointreau
½ oz
lime juice freshly squeezed
1 oz
cranberry juice
Garnish: Lemon twist · Ice: Served up, no ice
Cosmopolitan
Tart and fruity with fresh lime, orange and cranberry over clean citrus vodka. Medium strength, crisp and dry.
Several bartenders have a claim to the Cosmopolitan. One popular account credits Cheryl Cook, a bartender in South Beach, Miami, in the mid 1980s. The version most people know today, with citrus vodka, Cointreau, fresh lime and a splash of cranberry, is usually credited to Toby Cecchini at The Odeon in New York in 1988. Similar vodka, cranberry and lime drinks were circulating in American bars at the time.
The drink became a global star in the late 1990s, when the characters of the television series Sex and the City ordered it regularly. It is now on the IBA list of contemporary classics, and bartenders have spent years reclaiming it from overly sweet versions made with bottled mixes.
Its origin is disputed. Cheryl Cook in Miami and Toby Cecchini in New York are the most commonly named creators.
Yes, but citrus vodka is part of the IBA recipe and adds lemon aroma. With plain vodka, express a lemon twist generously.
Yes, it is listed among the contemporary classics.
The perfect sound
A glamorous night out in Manhattan with the girls.
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