The Cosmopolitan is coming back!

Cosmo Week – 4th to 10th of October 2021.

The story of The Cosmopolitan cocktail is similar to many classic drinks. Nobody is quite sure who invented it. Nobody is quite sure who popularised it. It’s had various incarnations through the ages and it can seriously divide opinion. The latter is particularly true of this technicolour treat, which has had its fair share of controversy over the years. But when made well is all kinds of delicious. And who doesn’t want to drink something very tasty?

History

The name came from a March 1989 copy of Cosmopolitan Magazine which featured an article on The Strand and the hostess titled ‘The Maître d’ is a Ms.’ and it’s said that Sex and the City’s costume designers Patricia Field and Rebecca Weinburg were regulars of hers.

One thing that’s for sure, is that The Cosmopolitan’s popularity went to another level in 1998 when the HBO television series, Sex and the City debuted. It was based on the eponymous column written by Candace Bushnell in the New York Observer, who previously described Cosmopolitan as her ‘signature drink’. As Carrie Bradshaw was her alter-ego, it was only natural that she similarly imbibed. This effect propelled the Cosmopolitan to its own stardom parallel to the show and “let’s have Cosmos!” became the order of its heyday. This cultural dissemination meant the drink becoming a common sight in bars and it’s ascent coincided with the vodka-based domination of cocktail culture at the close of the 20th century.

But despite it playing its part in helping to catalyse a new age of cocktail drinking, in the new craft cocktail boom The Cosmopolitan became the kind of drink that a new wave of bartenders rallied against. Prohibition-era serves, and spirit-forward drinks were preferred and pushed sweet, colourful and populist drinks to the side. The Cosmopolitan was too simple, too lacking in texture and flavour and fundamentally suffered from a lack of perceived ‘cool’ and authenticity.

Toby Cecchini describes becoming known among bartenders as “the asshole who invented that pink drink that we are now enslaved by”. The ‘Let’s have Cosmos’ line became a parody. Mad Men became the show to order cocktails from. Its bubblegum pop reputation has meant that The Cosmopolitan is no longer something that people order regularly, in the same way that people don’t wear double denim or listen to Billy Ray Cyrus without irony.

Cosmo’s are making a come back

There’s was something of a notion that a self-respecting bartender won’t touch a Cosmopolitan. But like everything in fashion it comes back eventually and as bars start to reopen after long and exhaustive COVID Lockdowns people want something tasty, familiar, and quite frankly joyous to celebrate with. Enter stage right our old favourite, The Cosmopolitan Cocktail.

In the case of The Cosmopolitan, that’s a light, refreshing and fun serve that’s perfect right now if you want to feel a bit glamorous in the house. So, let’s make one.

How to make a Cosmo

The Cosmopolitan is often made with citrus vodka but can be made using a plain premium vodka. When it comes to your choice of vodka, it’s worth noting that you don’t need to splash out, the trick is to economise while still using something of quality.
For a citrus based vodka we the ever popular;

Grey Goose Citron Vodka

or

Ketel One Citroen Vodka

For a plain premium vodka I would recommend Arktika, it’s only $38.99 and has won multiple awards.

Aktika Premium Vodka

Obviously you will need to use Cointreau, because there’s a reason the classics are classics, folks.

Cointreau Liqueur

When it comes to cranberry juice, I recommend the unsweetened kind, (I’ve gone for Ocean Spray as a nod to its history with this cocktail), which makes it a slightly drier drink and the measurement provided gives the cocktail that elegant pale pink hue. If that’s not to your taste, adjust accordingly.

The lime juice should be fresh, so get squeezin’!

For the garnish, I just popped a lime wheel on the rim of my glass, but an orange peel or twist also works well.

It’s worth filling your glass (typically a Martini glass, but you can also use a coupe) with ice and water to chill it prior to making your cocktail.

If you want to experiment with different variations, add some simple syrup if you’ve got a sweeter tooth (you shouldn’t need any more than 10ml).
Equally, you can lengthen a Cosmo with 60ml of good Champagne. Enjoy!

Recipe:

45ml of Vodka
20ml of Cointreau
20ml of cranberry juice
20ml of fresh lime juice

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wheel.