Cooking Lesson #374: The Cosmopolitan Family

The Thanksgiving Happy Hour Collection

How you doin’? I am always fascinated by the anthropology of various foods and drinks, aren’t you? So many people want to be credited for inventing Buffalo Wings, Donuts or even fan favorite libations. Take, for instance the Cosmopolitan Cocktail.
 
The International Bartenders Association’s Cosmo recipe (that sure sounds official) is based on lemon-flavored vodka. The Cosmopolitan is a relative of cranberry coolers like the Cape Codder. Though often presented far differently, the Cosmopolitan also bears a likeness in composition to the kamikaze cocktail. Regardless of what the IBA says, the origin of the Cosmopolitan is heavily disputed. 
 
Claim #1… While the Cosmo cocktail is widely perceived to be a more modern “mixation,” there is a recipe for a Cosmopolitan Daisy which appears in Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars 1903–1933, published in 1934. The original requires:
 
A jigger of Gordon's Gin (1-1⁄2 ounces)
2 dash Cointreau (1⁄2 ounce)
Juice of 1 lemon juice (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon raspberry syrup (homemade)
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass
 
Drinks of this time were made with ingredients that would have been readily available during the period, this identically named cocktail aims for the same effect. If this drink is in fact the source of the modern Cosmopolitan, then it would be an adaption of a Daisy rather than a Kamikaze.
 
Claim #2… Another version of the creation of this popular drink credits the accomplishment to the gay community in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Bartender Neal Murray says he created the Cosmopolitan in 1975 at the Cork & Cleaver Steak House in Minneapolis. According to Murray, he added a splash of cranberry juice to a Kamikaze and the first taster declared, "How cosmopolitan!" which supposedly led to the naming of the new beverage.
 
Claim #3… John Caine, owner of several popular bars in San Francisco and a cosmopolitan expert, credits the upsurge in cocktails during the 1970s to the Cosmo being served at fern bars of the day. Caine credits himself with bringing the Cosmo west from Cleveland. This I can tell you is a far stretch as The Warehouse Restaurant (my restaurant) in Los Angeles was selling a Cosmo in the late 1960s.
 
Claim #4… Cocktail historian Gary Regan credits bartender Cheryl Cook of the Strand Restaurant in South Beach, Florida with the original creation. In a letter to Regan, Cook related the story of how she created the drink in 1985 or 1986. So not true! Cook's original recipes called for "Absolut Citron, a splash of Triple sec, a drop of Rose's Lime and just enough cranberry to make it, oh so pretty in pink. It may have been a kind of Cosmo, but far from the original.
 
Claim #5… Regan also claims that the internationally recognized version of the cocktail was created by Toby Cecchini & Melissa Huffsmith-Roth in 1989 at the Odeon restaurant in Manhattan and was based on a poorly described version of Cheryl Cook's creation. Oh my goodness, who else wants to make a claim and take credit?
 
Claim # 6… Johnny come latelies, Sally Ann Berk and Bob Sennett claim that the Cosmopolitan first appears in literature as late as 1993 and derives from New York City. Hey, guys… maybe you should look it up on Google. They further claim that The Cosmopolitan gained popularity in the 1990s and further popularized among young women by its frequent mention on the television program Sex and the City.
 
The use of citrus flavored vodka as the basis for this cocktail appears to have been widely popularized in the mid-1990s by Dale DeGroff and is used in the IBA-approved recipe. However, many bartenders continue to use a standard unflavored vodka and this alternative would undoubtedly be historically inconsistent with any of the supposed predecessors of this drink that were popular in Ohio, Provincetown, or Minneapolis during the 1970s, or in San Francisco during the 1980s.
 
There are so many variations, i.e., stirring in a mixing glass instead of shaking, the Red Velvet Cosmo based on red velvet cake ingredients, the Virgin Cosmopolitan replacing the vodka and triple sec with orange juice and pink lemonade, and my favorite the Constipolitan, which uses prune juice in place of cranberry juice.
 
Whichever claim you believe, in all of its sweet, tart glory, the Cosmopolitan is the kind of classic cocktail that always wins over a crowd. And while its most original, famous form is the traditional way to go, mixing the familiar ingredients with some unexpected splashes will give your bar a spirited twist.
 
The one thing that is still constant in every recipe is Cointreau–the aromatic orange liqueur distilled from a blend of sweet and bitter orange peels that makes every iteration a balanced blend.
 
Here are recipes from Cointreau to reinvent everyone’s favorite cocktail.
 
The Classic Cosmopolitan
When in doubt about what to drink for a sit-down dinner, the tried-and-true classic Cosmopolitan is always a good idea. It’s tart, it’s refreshing, and it’s pretty in pink.
 
Ingredients  (to make a batch):
1 cup of Cointreau
2 cups of vodka
1 cup cranberry juice
1 cup fresh lime
1/2 cup water (for dilution)
 
Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a pitcher.
2. Add ice and serve in chilled coupe or cocktail glasses.
3. Dress it up with seasonal ingredients for a holiday garnish—i.e., rosemary, cranberries, orange wheels, lime twists, etc.

 
Holiday Jam
This recipe adds blackberry jam for a sweet, muddled mix. Once these fruity favorites start flowing, so will the conversation.
 
Ingredients
3/4 ounce Cointreau
2 ounces vodka
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/4 ounce cranberry juice
1 teaspoon blackberry jam
 
Directions

1. Add all ingredients into shaker.
2. Add ice and shake it like you mean it.
3. Strain into a glass.
4. Garnish with fresh blackberries.

 
Date Night
For a date with a sparkling personality, dinner should start with something a little sexier to set the mood. Impress your companion with a splash sparkling. All of the classic Cosmo ingredients are here—along with a champagne topper that adds a little effervescence.
 
Ingredients
3/4 ounce Cointreau
1-1/2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce cranberry juice
2 ounces champagne to top
 
Directions

1. Add Cointreau, vodka, fresh lime juice and cranberry juice to shaker.
2. Add ice and shake until well chilled.
3. Strain into a champagne flute.
4. Top with champagne, pouring slowly to prevent overflow.
5. Garnish with frozen cranberries.

 
Winter White Cosmo
Baby, it’s cold(er) outside! Warm up your friends and family with this soon-to-be seasonal staple. The snowy take on the Classic Cosmo swaps red for white cranberry, which is always a welcome switch for the stain-makers. As a festive touch, garnish with a skewer of cranberries.
 
Directions
3/4 ounce Cointreau
2 ounces vodka
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/4 ounce white cranberry juice
 
Directions

1. Add all ingredients into shaker, add ice, and shake it like you mean it.
2. Strain into a glass.
3. Garnish with cranberries.

 
Electro Cosmo
If your idea of the perfect birthday party involves DayGlo and dance music, this supercharged drink is exactly what to serve. Thanks to an infusion of butterfly pea flower, the color of this cocktail is an electric dream come true.
 
Ingredients
3/4 ounce Cointreau
2 ounces vodka infused with *butterfly pea flower
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/4 ounce cranberry juice
*Butterfly pea flower tea, commonly known as blue tea, is a caffeine-free herbal tea, or tisane, beverage made from a decoction or infusion of the flower petals or even whole flower of the Clitoria ternatea plant.
 
Directions

1. Add all ingredients to shaker.
2. Add ice and shake well.
3. Strain into coupe or martini glasses and garnish with an orange peel.
4. To infuse vodka: Add a scoop of dried butterfly pea flower.

ChefSecret:  Cointreau is an orange-flavored triple sec liqueur produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, France. It is consumed as an aperitif and digestif and is part of several well-known cocktails. It was originally called Curaçao Blanco Triple Sec. Despite the orange bottle, Cointreau is colorless.
 
​The Cointreau Distillery was set up in 1849 by Adolphe Cointreau, a confectioner and his brother Edouard-Jean Cointreau. Their first success was with the cherry liqueur guignolet, but they also found success when they blended sweet and bitter orange peels and pure alcohol from sugar beets. The first bottles of Cointreau were sold in 1875. An estimated 13 million bottles are sold each year, in more than 150 countries.

Quip of the Day: “My girlfriend asked me if she had any annoying habits then got all offended as I queued up the Power Point presentation.”
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. 
 
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