After reading Cosmopolitan, an entertaining book written by New York bartender Toby Cecchini – the man credited with reinventing the Cosmopolitan in the late 80s, which in turn led to its huge success (somewhat to his horror, especially when it became the signature cocktail in Sex and the City) – I wanted to make the drink myself.

Cecchini says that although the Cosmo looks like a girlie drink, it’s actually meant to taste tart and not sugary.

In the back of his book he lists the proper Cosmopolitan recipe as:

• 5 parts lemon vodka
• 5 parts triple sec or Cointreau
• 4 parts fresh lime juice
• Dash or two of cranberry

The drink then needs to be shaken well, strained into a cocktail glass and served with a fat twist of lemon.

Cecchini says the main problems people make with the Cosmopolitan is not using fresh lime juice – or not using enough. He also adds that triple sec is as good to use as Cointreau for this drink but a hell of a lot cheaper and that the cranberry juice is really just used to add a little colour and that only a small amount should be added to the drink (the Cosmo should look pink and not red).

To be honest I never made – or even tasted – a Cosmopolitan before but I decided to make one according to Cecchini’s recipe (I used Ketel Citroen as the lemon vodka) and was surprised by how much I loved the cocktail. It isn’t sweet at all: rather, there’s a beautiful citrus tang to it and the drink balances the sweet and sour flavours perfectly. In short – and I never thought I’d say this before making the drink myself – I actually love it.

Cosmopolitan cocktail recipe , 4.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

 

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