Cosmopolitan
Vodka, Cointreau, lime and cranberry juice, shaken cold. Tart, pink and well balanced when done properly.
- Time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Martini glass
- Strength
- 2.2 UK units
How to make a Cosmopolitan
- Chill the glass. Fill a martini glass with ice and water and leave it while you make the drink, so it is properly cold.
- Add the ingredients. Pour the vodka, Cointreau, lime juice and cranberry juice into a shaker and fill it two-thirds with ice.
- Shake until frosted. Shake hard for about 12 seconds, until the shaker is frosted all over and too cold to hold for long.
- Strain and garnish. Empty the ice from the glass and strain the drink in. It should be a clear, bright pink. Twist a strip of orange peel over the top and serve.
- Glass
- Martini glassNo martini glass? A coupe.
- Ice
- No ice
- Garnish
- A flamed orange twistOr: A thin lime wheel on the rim.
What you need to make a Cosmopolitan
Kit
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Vegetable peelerFor wide strips of peel with little pith.
Bottles we'd use
- CointreauThe drink depends on a dry, clean orange liqueur.Find it on Amazon
- A citrus vodka (optional)Absolut Citron is the classic, though plain vodka works well too.Find it on Amazon
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The Cosmopolitan story
Several bartenders have claimed it. Cheryl Cook, in Miami in the 1980s, is one name, and Toby Cecchini at the Odeon in New York, who fixed the recipe in 1987 with Cointreau and fresh lime, is another. Dale DeGroff then popularised it in New York, and the drink reached a much wider audience through television in the late 1990s.
A good Cosmopolitan is not sweet. Fresh lime and a restrained amount of cranberry give it a tart edge, while Cointreau adds depth. The cranberry is there for colour and a light tang. Too much turns it into pink juice.
Cosmopolitan: your questions answered
What is in a Cosmopolitan?
A Cosmopolitan is made with 40 ml vodka, 15 ml Cointreau, 15 ml fresh lime juice and 30 ml cranberry juice. Garnish: a flamed orange twist.
Is a Cosmopolitan shaken or stirred?
A Cosmopolitan is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Cosmopolitan?
Made to this recipe, a Cosmopolitan contains about 2.2 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Cosmopolitan in?
Serve a Cosmopolitan in a martini glass. No martini glass? A coupe.
