How to Make the Perfect Classic Cosmopolitan Cocktail

If you love a fruity, but not too sweet cocktail, a Classic Cosmopolitan Cocktail is the perfect martini for you. It’s slightly sweet and has the perfect balance of fruity flavor along with a delightful bite.

Classic Cocktails – The Perfect Cosmopolitan Cocktail

The classic cosmopolitan cocktail. Definitely an iconic vodka drink that entered the mass consciousness in the late 1990’s as the drink of choice for Carrie Bradshaw and her friends on Sex and the City. While many things changed in their lives during their time in New York City, their love of a cosmo cocktail is well-documented.

Unfortunately, that may have led the cosmopolitan to be something you drank during girls’ nights and less something you would serve at a dinner parties. This really couldn’t be further from the truth. 

I consider this to be a delightfully boozy vodka drink that is great for any occasion. The classic cosmopolitan recipe (or “cosmo recipe” – either terminology works) has you combine vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and the juice from fresh limes. Simple ingredients for a very simple drink.

You can also consider a good cosmo as a gateway to vodka martinis! While the classic cosmopolitan recipe doesn’t contain vermouth as would a true vodka martini, it’s still a great cocktail (albeit with a pink color!) that introduces you to the more boozy cocktail recipes such as the classic vodka (or gin) martini.

History of the Cosmopolitan

I was actually surprised that the origins of the cosmopolitan are both relatively recent and weirdly connected. While there were some (not very good) cosmopolitan drink recipes unearthed in the 1920’s and 1930’s, what we know today as the classic cosmopolitan cocktail really had it’s start in the mid-1970’s.

A gentleman by the name of Neal Murray was working in a bar in Minneapolis. In 1975, he combined a classic kamikaze drink recipe (vodka, triple sec / orange liqueur and lime juice) with a Cape Cod (vodka, Ocean Spray cranberry juice cocktail and lime juice) to create the original classic cosmopolitan recipe of vodka, cranberry juice, triple sec and lime juice.

Neal Murray ended up moving to San Francisco and taught bartenders in a number of elite bars there how to make his cosmopolitan recipe. Eventually, one of these bartenders moved to New York City in the mid-to late 1980’s where they worked with Toby Cecchini and introduced him to the drink. Toby made a slight change by using Absolut Citron vodka (a citrus-flavored vodka) and popularized the drink in New York City.

Dale Degroff, who is credited with popularizing the definitive classic cosmopolitan recipe in his 2002 book, The Craft of the Cocktail, also ran across this classic cocktail while in San Francisco frequenting a bar where Neal Murray had worked. So many connections!

At the same time all this was happening, Cheryl Cook in South Beach, Miami was creating basically the same drink in the late 1980’s. She also used Absolute Citron vodka (as did Toby Cecchini) along with triple sec, lime juice and a splash of cranberry juice. Legend has it that she did this twist on a “martini” to make it more visually appealing and popular with women.

This Perfect Cosmopolitan Cocktail is Great for any Occassion

For me, a cosmopolitan is a festive cocktail that’s perfect for for any occasion. It has a beautiful light pink color and just the right bite from a combination of vodka and triple sec. 

And the great thing about this martini is that you don’t need to keep any complicated ingredients on hand. If you have vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and fresh limes on hand you’re good to go. Just measure the ingredients and shake it up in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

Whether you’re celebrating something special like Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, or just toasting the end of a long week, this is a cocktail that you want in your drink repertoire.

Tips and Tricks

• For an extra icy cold cosmo, chill the martini glass with ice water while you’re shaking up the cocktail.
• If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, a great option is using either a mason jar or protein shake “shaker”.
• No worries if you don’t have martini glasses as there are several other types of glassware that will work. You can use a wine glass, a coupe, either a single or a double rocks glass or a champagne flute.

Ingredients Needed to Make a Cosmopolitan Cocktail

Full instructions for making this cocktail can be found in the recipe card below

• A good quality vodka – Tito’s is my first choice, it’s got good flavor at a very good price point. Other top-shelf vodkas such as Grey Goose or Belvedere are excellent choices, as well.
• Triple sec of your choice – I’m not particular about which triple sec that I use, but cointreau liqueur is also a good alternative.
• Cranberry juice cocktail – I have tested this with unsweetened cranberry juice, but found that the cocktail was too tart for my taste.
• Fresh lime juice –  I would definitely use fresh lime juice as it adds a really nice freshness to the cocktail.
• Ice – A good amount of ice in the cocktail shaker is important for making sure this cocktail is ice cold when served.

How to Make a Perfect Classic Cosmopolitan Cocktail

• Fill a cocktail shaker with a generous amount of ice cubes.
• Add the vodka, triple sec and cranberry juice.
• Cover the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. This will insure that your cocktail is ice cold.
• Strain into martini glasses.

More Cranberry Cocktails to Enjoy

• Cranberry-Raspberry Champagne Cocktail
• Rosemary Infused Cranberry Bourbon Martini
• Cranberry Vodka Spritzer
• Cranberry Mule
• Cranberry Sangria
• Cranapple Fizz Cocktail
• Roasted Cranberry Bourbon Crush
• Blizzard Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail