Cosmopolitan
A Cosmopolitan is a cocktail made with vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and freshly squeezed or sweetened lime juice. The Cosmopolitan became hugely popular in the 1990’s and was further popularized by the TV show Sex and the City. Fashionista Carrie Bradshaw and her friends downed plenty of them in the course of the show. Pictures of Madonna during the Sony Grammy Awards also helped boost the cocktail in the 1990’s. The Cosmopolitan is loved by models, thanks to the low carbohydrate content and the cranberry juice.
History
The Cosmopolitan is a member of the cranberry cocktails family, like the Cape Codder. And although often served completely differently, the Cosmopolitan also displays similarities with the Kamikaze cocktail.
THE ORIGIN OF THE COSMOPOLITAN IS DISPUTES
The thirties
Although the cocktail is generally considered to be a modern creation, a recipe for a Cosmopolitan Daisy appeared in Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars 1903-1933, published in 1934. Made with ingredients that would have been easy to come by, this eponymous cocktail aimed for the same effect.
Barman Neal Murray says that he created the Cosmopolitan in the Cork & Cleaver steakhouse in Minneapolis. According to Murray, he added a dash or cranberry juice to the kamikaze and the first taster declared: “How cosmopolitan”, which would have given the cocktail its name.
Several other claims have been made about the origin of the Cosmopolitan. Cocktail historian Gary Regan credits bartender Cheryl Cook of the Strand Restaurant in South Beach Florida with the original creation. Some people think that Cook is a mythical creation, but in a letter to Regan, Cool talks about how she created the drink in 1985 or 1986:
“What overwhelmed me was the number of people ordering Martinis, just to be seen holding a Martine glass. It was this realization that gave me the idea to create a drink that everyone could taste and that was visually stunning in that classic glass. This was what the Cosmopolitan was based on. Cook’s originally recipe called for “Absolut Citron, a dash of Triple Sec, a drop of Rose’s lime and just enough cranberry to make it pretty in pink”. Although Absolut Citron wasn’t officially introduced until 1988, a test was marketed in Miami beforehand.
But anyway, the main thing is that it is a cocktail that tastes great and that works both for hip youngsters and the stylish chic.
WANT TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE A COSMOPOLITAN?
Do you want to learn how to make cocktails or acquire the skills of a real bartender or bar lady? Enter the magical world of cocktail shaking and learn all its secrets.
Our professional bartenders will be happy to teach you the tricks of the trade.
