Cosmopolitan cocktail

How to make a Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan classic recipe Preparation time5 min Number of people: 1

Ingredients:

• 45 ml of vodka.
• 15 ml of Triple Sec, which can be Cointreau or Grand Marnier.
• 45 ml of red cranberry or currant juice.
• 15 ml of lime juice.
• Ice.
• Lime slices or orange peel to decorate.

Utensils:

• cocktail shaker

Despite being a very popular vodka cocktail, the Cosmopolitan is also one of the most recent cocktail inventions, as unlike other cocktails such as the Manhattan, which are over 100 years old, the modern recipe for this drink he just turned 40. 

The ingredients of the old Cosmopolitan changed depending on the barman who prepared it, as the first references to this glass are in the book Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bar, published in 1934 and the recipe contained gin, but not vodka. Elsewhere, lime was swapped for lemon or cranberry juice was eliminated in favor of raspberry syrup.

It was not until the 1980s that the current recipe was created and what the Cosmopolitan contains became widespread, thanks to the rise of vodka as a base for cocktails. However, the true popularity of this combination would come in 1996 when, after the celebration of the Grammy Awards, Madonna was photographed in the Rainbow Room bar in New York having a Cosmopolitan.

The barman responsible for that glass immortalized in the press was Dale DeGroff, known in New York as King Cocktail. DeGroff, in addition to vodka, had incorporated the flambéed orange peel into the Cosmopolitan, which gave him a different touch, making the Cosmopolitan a very popular drink.

To begin, the glass must be cooled with a little ice or cold water. To chill with ice, simply put the cubes inside and stir until the glass is frosty. 

While the glass cools, we can pour all the ingredients into the shaker, adding ice, in a thick cube, so that it does not melt and water down the cocktail. We shake the content well so that the ingredients are integrated and cool, we pour it into the glass, using a strainer so that the ice crystals do not sneak in and it is almost ready to serve.

To get that different touch, we can take the orange peel between the thumb and forefinger, light a lighter under it, on the glass and squeeze the skin. In this way, the natural oils will come out that will heat up and fall into the cocktail.

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