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Cosmopolitan

Sours · Vodka · IBA official

Cosmopolitan

Citrus vodka, lime and a blush of cranberry, sharp and pale pink

Citrus vodka, orange liqueur, fresh lime and a splash of cranberry, shaken and served up. Tart, citrusy and lightly fruity, it should be pale pink rather than red. A sleek, sharp aperitif with real bite behind its polished look.

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Glass
Martini glass
Ice
Up (no ice)
Technique
Shaken · Double-strained
Difficulty
Intermediate
Time
3 min
Strength
≈ 18% ABV

Ingredients

Martini glass
  • 40 mlCitrus vodka1¼ oz
  • 15 mlTriple sec (orange liqueur)½ oz
  • 15 mlFresh lime juice½ oz
  • 30 mlCranberry juice1 oz
  • GarnishOrange peel

≈ 125 ml served · 1.7 standard drinks

Substitutes: Vodka can stand in for Citrus vodka. Dry orange curaçao can stand in for Triple sec (orange liqueur). Fresh lemon juice can stand in for Fresh lime juice.

Method

  1. 1

    Chill a martini glass.

  2. 2

    Add the citrus vodka, triple sec, lime juice and cranberry juice to a shaker.

  3. 3

    Fill with ice and shake hard for 10–12 seconds.

  4. 4

    Double strain into the chilled glass.

  5. 5

    Express an orange peel over the drink and rest it on the rim.

Learn it step by step

History

Several bartenders made pink vodka-and-cranberry drinks under this name in the 1980s, with Cheryl Cook in Miami often cited as an early creator. The version we know – citrus vodka, orange liqueur, fresh lime and a splash of cranberry – is credited to Toby Cecchini at the Odeon in New York in 1988, and Sex and the City made it a global icon in the late 1990s.

Origin
New York, USA
First recorded
1988

Bartender's notes

  • No citrus vodka? Use plain vodka and add a strip of lemon peel to the shaker.
  • The cranberry is there for colour and a tart edge – the drink should be pale pink, not red.
  • Flame the orange peel: warm it over a match, then squeeze it through the flame above the drink for a toasted citrus aroma.
FruityCitrusSourSweet

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