Cosmopolitan (Cosmo)

The COSMOPOLITAN, or “Cosmo”, can vary from bar to bar. If you know what you like in the Cosmo, you can usually request it be made that way. If you don’t know what you like, the establishment’s mix usually disappoints. So it’s in one’s best interest to know what we like in a Cosmo. My recommendation, which is the best in my opinion, was influenced by the 1796 Room Restaurant & Bar at the Omni Bedford Springs Hotel in Bedford, PA –though they use a dash of Rose instead of my citron vodka preference.

Requirements: vodka, citron vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, lime juice, lime wheel for garnish

• 3 oz. vodka
• 1.5 oz. Cointreau
• 3 oz. cranberry juice (or a teaspoon less)
• .75 citron vodka
• 1/2 lime juice and lime wheel for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add liquid ingredients. Shake for 30 seconds until the shaker is frosty on the outside. Strain into a martini glass. Drop a slice of lime into drink.

Comments: The cranberry juice used should be the standard original, not the unsweetened, and should be slightly less in proportion than the amount of vodka to prevent being overly sweet. The color should be pink, not red. Also, citron vodka adds the extra layer that makes it special. The right balance between sweet and tart is the trick and which this mix accomplishes. Shaking it vigorously for at 20-30 seconds in an ice-filled shaker gives it that appealing icy element. This mix, and my Gold Rush Chapel Hill, have been my most popular cocktails for twenty years.

Perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Similar Cocktails:

Cranberry Moscow Mule — https://keetscocktails.com/cranberry-moscow-mule/

Pomegranate Martini — https://keetscocktails.com/pomegranate-martini-2/

Ginger Cosmo Martini — https://keetscocktails.com/ginger-cosmo-martini/

Dirty Shirley — https://keetscocktails.com/dirty-shirley-2/

Cranberry Cooler — https://keetscocktails.com/cranberry-cooler/