Cocktail Hour: Cosmopolitan

I know.  This is one of those cocktails that is completely clichéd and overexposed.  I blame Sex and the City, and I can assure you that I am not writing about this because the new movie is coming out in a couple of weeks.  I doubt I’ll even see it.  Instead, I’m doing it because it’s my mom’s favorite cocktail, which I decided to play with for Mother’s Day.  I’ve had so many bad Cosmos– usually made from bad mixes, or more citrus vodka than anything else– you get the idea.  I figured that anything made right, with good ingredients, has to taste good?  This one didn’t fail me.

The ingredients for a Cosmpolitan are pretty simple: citrus-flavored vodka, triple sec, lime juice, and cranberry juice.  It’s not a “tini”– man, do I hate that term– even though it is served in Martini glass.  It’s technically considered a sour.  The trick to making one that is actually drinkable is to use good triple sec, fresh lime juice, and to get the proportions right.

As far as the vodka, go with what you like.  I use Absolut Citron, which is the vodka that the Cosmopolitan was originally developed for (by Cheryl Cook in Miami, as the story goes) but I’ve had good ones made with other citrus vodkas.  Squeeze fresh lime juice– do not use Rose’s lime juice or sour mix, as many bars do (yuck!).  Use a high quality triple sec– Cointreau is traditional, and you know I like the Luxardo Triplum as well.  Avoid the stuff that just tastes like sugar water with no depth (I’m looking at you, DeKuyper).  The cranberry juice should tint the cocktail a pretty pink, but not overwhelm the citrus flavors.  Try for a 100% juice product, and not cheap cranberry juice cocktail, which is mostly water and corn syrup and only 3.7% juice.   Oh– and don’t forget the orange peel garnish.

Here are the proportions– perfected by Dale DeGroff– but don’t be afraid to experiment!

1.5 oz Absolut Citron

.5 oz Triple Sec

.25 oz Lime Juice

1 oz Cranberry juice

Shake with ice, then pour into a Martini glass.  Garnish with either an orange twist or a flamed orange peel.

Hold on a second.  Yes, I said flamed orange peel.  No, it’s not difficult.  Take a navel orange, and with a paring knife, cut oblong slices of zest and, close to the glass, heat up the peel and “twist” the orange in front of the flame– it’ll caramelize the orange oils, and add some nice depth to the cocktail.  For you visual folks, I found a great YouTube video from Bombay Sapphire that might help you out.  I’m not sure why he’s doing a video about a Cosmopolitan, but it’s got some great detail.

In doing research on this post, I found Oh Gosh’s (one of my favorite cocktail blogs, a must read!) recipe for a Cosmopolitan– which adds orange bitters.  Great addition!  I use Regan’s Orange Bitters, which you can purchase at both Party Source and Cork ‘n’ Bottle.  They add some depth you won’t find at your local ‘tini bar.

What did mom think?  She was delighted– a Cosmo was a great start to our belated Mother’s Day festivities.

Tagged as: absolut, cosmopolitan, flamed orange peel, luxardo triplum, sex and the city