Cosmopolitans are much more than a pretty cocktail. This simple cocktail is citrusy, tart, and hits hard. It’s a classic that any home bartender should know, and it’s simple enough to create for visitors or simply for yourself.
For such a gorgeous, simple drink, the Cosmopolitan cocktail has become the generation’s most vilified dull, with a beauty that stems partially from the belly of a plastic container. However, the Cosmo continues to be popular among drinkers. So perhaps it isn’t such a big deal after all. At its heart, it’s a perfect sour. Yet, the Cosmopolitan teeters on its precarious tall stem between the modern classic of the cocktail canon and the pink pariah of certain bartending brethren.
For such a gorgeous little drink, the Cosmopolitan has become the generation’s most reviled millennial, dull, and with a beauty that stems partly from the belly of a plastic container, as the critics claim. However, the Cosmo continues to be popular among drinkers. So perhaps it isn’t such a lousy drink after all. It’s a superb sour at its core. The Cosmopolitan, on the other hand, teeters on a dangerous high stem between a modern cocktail icon and a pink pariah for sure bartenders.
How to Make 9 Cosmopolitan Cocktails
Here are 9 recipes and steps for how to make a Cosmopolitan cocktail at home:
Unicorn Cosmo
Add a handful of cotton candy to a martini glass that has been dipped in water and rimmed with edible glitter. Combine equal amounts of grape juice and vodka in a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a martini glass with a rainbow candy cane garnish.
Summer Watermelon Cosmo Cocktail
Add 2 cups of diced watermelon, blended until smooth, strained through a fine-mesh strainer, and pulp discarded in a cocktail shaker with ice. Combine the strained watermelon juice and 1 1/2 ounces of Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka. Shake and strain into a glass with a squeeze of lime juice.
Cosmojito
Add 1 1/2-ounces Absolut Citron, 3/4 oz cranberry juice, 1 oz Cointreau1/5 oz of lime juice, 2 dashes of Peychaud Bitters, and 4-5 mint leaves in a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a highball glass. Add more ice and top off with soda.
Stoli Strasberi Cosmo
Add 1 oz of Stoli Strawberi, 1/2 oz of orange liqueur, and 1/2 oz of cranberry juice in a shaker with ice. Pour into a coupe glass after shaking. Garnish with an orange peel and a squeeze of lime juice.
All That Glitters
In a mixing glass with ice, combine 1 1/2 oz vodka, 1 oz Lillet Blanc, and 1/4 oz each of St. Germaine, Caravella Limoncello, and Suze. Add a pinch of edible gold glitter to the mix. Strain into a coupe glass and serve with a lemon twist as a garnish.
Austin Cosmo
Add 1/2 oz Paula’s Texas Orange Liqueur, 1 1/2 oz vodka, and 2 oz cranberry juice in a shaker with ice. Strain into a cold glass after shaking.
Steam 75
Combine 1 1/2 ounces Reyka Vodka, 3/4 ounces Art in the Age Rhubarb Tea Organic Liqueur, 3/4-ounce lime juice, and 1/2-ounce strawberry puree in a cocktail shaker packed with ice. Pour into a chilled coup after shaking. 1-ounce brut Champagne, with a sprig of lavender as a garnish
Cosmonaut
Add 1 oz of lime vodka, 3/4 oz of lime juice, 1/2-ounce Domaine de Canton, and 1/2 oz grenadine in a shaker with ice. Shake well, then strain into a flute and top with Prosecco. Serve with a lime twist on top.
Green Tea Cosmo
1 1/5-ounces of Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka, 1/2 oz orange-flavored liqueur, 1 oz cranberry juice, 1/2 oz lime juice, and 1 1/2 oz iced green tea in a shaker packed with ice Shake well before straining into a martini glass.
We hope these recipes help you to be the best hostess at the next party you plan.
