Cosmopolitan Cocktail

This Cosmopolitan Cocktail recipe is a gorgeous and classy drink made with just 4 ingredients. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart! Turn your next night in up a notch with this easy drink.

Sometimes I can’t help but crave a fun and bright cocktail just like this fantastic cosmopolitan. Whether I’m having a dinner party with some friends, looking for a celebratory post-work treat, or even just doing the laundry. Hey, we all deserve to spoil ourselves sometimes!

If you’re looking for a drink you can throw together with no fuss, this is the recipe for you. While at first glance the cosmopolitan cocktail may look like a feat of mixologist expertise, it couldn’t be any easier to make. With simple ingredients that are easy to find, you’re mere moments away from having a cosmo in your hand.

What is a cosmopolitan cocktail?

Also referred to as a “cosmo”, this pink cocktail is an alcohol-forward drink made with vodka. While it’s debated where the origin of the drink stems from, we know for sure how it gained its modern-day popularity.

We all remember watching Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City order herself a cosmopolitan often times while out with her girlfriends! As a result, the popularity of the drink skyrocketed into, you could say, the cosmos.

Ingredients

Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for a list of FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump the Recipe” button at the top of the page!

• Vodka – Use your favorite type. For this instance, I suggest using a high quality vodka as it’ll impact the flavor greatly.
• Triple sec – Blue Curaçao will work instead flavor-wise if that’s what you have handy, however it will affect the color.
• Cranberry juice – This is what gives this cocktail it’s pretty pink colour.
• Lime juice – Fresh is best!
• Ice
• Orange twist – Use a potato peeler and slice thin twists with a knife if you don’t have a citrus zester.

What is triple sec?

If you’re familiar with Curaçao, you’ll recognize the strong orange flavor and aroma of triple sec. This liqueur is made with dried peels from both bitter and sweet oranges. It’s sweet, packs a major citrus punch, and clocks in from 15-40% ABV depending on the type you buy.

How to make a cosmopolitan cocktail

1. Mix the ingredients: Add the vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, lime juice, and ice to a cocktail shaker or large glass. Secure the cocktail shaker and shake for about 20 seconds. If using a glass, stir well with a spoon.
2. Finish the cocktail: Strain the cocktail into a martini glass. Garnish with a twist of orange and enjoy!

How to serve a cosmopolitan

This classic cosmopolitan cocktail is usually served in a martini glass, however I promise it’ll still taste just as good in any receptacle. Even a coffee mug! It’s just so much more fun to feel like you’re on the set of Sex and the City swirling that pink cocktail around in a martini glass, you know?

I’ve garnished my cosmopolitan with a twist of orange and a lime slice, for a bit more color and brightness. A twist of lime or a small lime wedge; whatever you like! As long as you have some nice and fresh citrus to tie the drink together.

Looking for more homemade cocktails? Try these!

• Manhattan Drink
• Negroni
• Pomegranate Cider Mimosa
• Mojito Recipe
• Moscow Mule
• Grasshopper Cocktail
• Margarita