Cosmopolitan Cocktail

Okay, I admit it - I was absolutely never a Sex and the City fan. I don't think I watched over 5 minutes of a single show. However, you could not avoid the cultural impact that it had from making us all aware of Jimmy Choo shoes to the Carrie's love of the very pink Cosmopolitan Cocktail.

I love entertaining.  There is something about having people around my table sharing food and laughter that feels right to me. I grew in a family without a lot of money. My relatives were the same. Visiting each other, making food together (just a little meat and a ton of side dishes and desserts to fill us up), sharing stories and laughter, playing countless games of rook and assembling jigsaw puzzles were my road map for how family came together.  

For years I simply made most meals BYOB and the standard drink seemed to be wine.  A few non-drinkers stuck with fruit juice, water and tea/coffee, but wine was the first choice for everyone else.  When my daughter married, her husband loved exploring unique cocktails.  He had the touch - a cocktail palette that really stood out.  Somewhere during the last few years I decided I would give cocktails a swirl.  If nothing else, I felt it might offer something for my son-in-law and I to connect over, a subject we could discuss. 

My version - YUM!

My first try was the Pantone Blue, created in honor of Pantone's color that year with blue gin and a blue herbal tea.  I loved it.  My son-in-law of course tweaked it slightly and it was even better.  You can see his version HERE! That peaked my interest even more. Next I had a list of holiday cocktails to try one year. I didn't get through them all, but will eventually.  I keep updating that post as I try new ones.

Some attempts recipes have turned out MEH, and some have been fabulous. I even made an Elderflower Mocktail for my oldest son who is a non-drinker that turned out great. The more I explored, the more fun I started to have. Today I stumbled across a reference to Sex and the City and Carrie's favourite - the Cosmopolitan.  I had all the ingredients so decided to give it a whirl. But which recipe?

I avoided ones that added things like Limeade and in the end settled on this version found on a website called A Couple Cooks.  They called it NEW and IMPROVED. I have no idea why other than they suggest you use unsweetened cranberry juice (I unfortunately couldn't find that) and all the other ingredients are fresh.  

I hope to try this again with the citron vodka and maybe even the maple syrup version, but for today I went with the regular. And I loved it. I love a tart drink and this didn't disappoint. However, I know not everyone likes it this tart, so feel free to up the amount of simple syrup to your taste. It was a darker pink that the show picture, but def in line with the image at the bottom. 

I'm having so much fun! I think an Espresso Martini might be my next attempt. 

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Cosmopolitan Cocktail -
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients -

2 oz.                 vodka or citron vodka
2 oz.                 100% cranberry juice (do not use sweetened!)
1 oz.                 Cointreau
1 oz.                 Fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp                 Simple syrup or maple syrup**
2 lime wedges

For the garnish: lime wheel (optional)

Instructions -

Place the vodka, cranberry juice, Cointreau, lemon juice, and syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake 15 seconds until cold. Strain the liquid into a martini glass. Squeeze one lime wedge into each drink and garnish with a lime wheel if desired. Serve