HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT COSMOPOLITAN
Morgenne Covelli
“I’d like a cheeseburger, fries, and a cosmopolitan please!”
Listen, we’ve all been there! I also hate when my super hot, earthy, woodworking, Brawny paper towel man boyfriend--that wears artisanal jewelry, I might add--drags me to his cabin upstate for the weekend, and I am forced to be without my friendly pink companion:
The Cosmopolitan.
Perhaps it's because everyone else started drinking them that we have seen less of our blushing playgirl. However, her beginnings precede her. Her origins get a little hazy (classic) but she sailed into the city with her cranberries from Provincetown, a notorious LGBTQ haven, just to be co-opted by four white bitches on HBO!
Flavored martinis started gaining popularity in the late 80’s-90’s (think the Espresso Martini, Mojito. etc.), but the cosmo was mingling with the community long before then. Provincetown is known for having one of the oldest artist colonies in the United States that continues to thrive to this day. Artists (gays) from Greenwich Village *ahem* have been studying (partying) in P-Town since as early as 1916, ultimately leading me to believe that's exactly how our friend ended up on the island. It really was just a matter of time before the original martini mellowed out and got a slightly sweet facelift after spending its days by the shore.
Toby Ceccini is to thank for the modern Cosmo, or publicizing it really. He was working at The Odeon in Tribeca circa 1988, a fixture of the NYC nightlife scene, when someone came in requesting this pink drink they had at a gay bar in San Francisco. Ceccini ran with the original concept but swapped some ingredients for ones they had on deck. He just so happened to have cranberry juice and lime on hand, and just like that, the modern cosmopolitan was brought to the general public. Soon it was flying out of the bar faster than Carrie running from Natasha in the stairwell. From then on it became one of the first flavored cocktails to be added to bar menus - known amongst bartenders as “the cursed pink drink”.
By the time Sex and the City stepped into everyone's homes with its Manolos, Marlboro Lights and certain a je ne sais quoi only New York City in the late 90’s could give us (in other words--gentrification), the cosmopolitan glitterati had taken a backseat on the cocktail. It was none other than Samantha Jones who brought it back in season two when she ordered “another cosmopolitan, please!” Suddenly every bitch and their mother were lapping up the magical concoction. The cursed pink drink rises again!
Since she first made her appearance on the show, it’s been difficult to not spot her on a night out. Our little lady with a rich history has evolved throughout the years on her journey from P-town to San Francisco all the way to NYC. Her lime syrup and grenadine adapted to the taste of the city, maturing into fresh lime juice & a citrus liqueur while sorority girls everywhere co-opted the once queer drink into their vodka cranberry drink of choice. That’s a life metaphor if I’ve ever seen one!
I am a cosmo girl after all.
How to Make the Perfect Cosmopolitan
Equally tangy and sweet, this tantalizing refreshment is perfect for a night in solo or with a couple of soulmates. I originally created my version of the Cosmo during quarantine when cocktail hour was one of my favorite vices--along with a Bradshaw-esque ciggy here and there.
Ingredients:
1 ½ fl oz- 2 fl oz vodka (some days we like her stronger)- try queer owned Tom of Finland Organic Vodka
½ fl oz triple sec- I use Cointreau
1 fl oz cranberry Juice
¾ fl oz fresh lime juice
1 C ice
Lime peel for garnish if you're feeling ambitious
Cocktail shaker—or a jar if you're in a pinch
I'm a bit particular about my cocktails so I prefer a chilled glass. For this step take your chosen drinkware before mixing your cocktail ( I love a coupe) and throw a few ice cubes in, remove ice before pouring.
Combine vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, lime juice in a cocktail shaker.
Add ice and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is a bit frosty--about 15 seconds, strain into chilled glass.
Slice a thin piece of lime peel, twist it into a corkscrew to fit on the rim, and viola! Our cosmo girl is ready for her nightcap. Enjoy! XO
Lensed by Maddi Covelli