Cosmopolitan Cocktails are a classic, elegant vodka cocktail made famous by the ladies of Sex and the City! Not to sweet, not too tart, super quick to make made with cranberry juice, lime juice, vodka and cointreau.
Serve this for elegant pre dinner drinks, to ring in the New Year or an evening in with the girls!
Cosmopolitan Cocktails
I love Cosmos for how easy they are to drink – and how I always feel like I’m channeling the New-York-Gal within as I daintily sip away!
Truthfully though, I live in the Northern Beach of Sydney. I spend my days in flip flops, denim shorts and comfortable tees, a whirlwind of activity between the kitchen, shooting area and my computer.
About as far from NYC-like as you can get.
But with a glass of Cosmo in my hand? I feel a little bit closer to the glitz and glam of NYC! 😂
What do cosmos taste like?
Cosmos are sweet with a touch of tang from lime. They taste of cranberry juice with orange (from the Cointreau), and though there’s a considerably slug of alcohol in it with equal parts alcohol to non alcohol, you can’t taste it very much. They are dangerously drinkable!
What you need for Cosmos
Here’s what you need:
Cranberry juice, SWEETENED – be sure not to use unsweetened cranberry juice, it’s very tart…. too tart! You need the sweet cranberry juice to get the right balance of sweet. Accidentally got unsweetened? Save it – make a simple syrup with equal parts sugar and hot water to dissolve, cool, then add as needed.;
Vodka – plain, unflavoured vodka. Use mid shelf because there’s quite a lot of vodka in Cosmos. Top shelf if your budget stretches that far….but I typically serve top shelf vodka straight.
Cointreau – this is a clear orange flavoured liquor called triple sec. Cointreau is a brand of triple sec, the best, in my opinion (certainly the most well known).
Lime juice – fresh!
With 3 full shots of alcohol, Cosmos are pretty potent!!
How to make Cosmopolitan Cocktails
Just pour everything into a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake well to chill, then strain into a martini glass.
The classic garnish is orange peel. The extra little fragrance you get as you drink the Cosmopolitan drives home the orange flavour and is really lovely!
When to serve Cosmopolitan Cocktails
Cosmos are one of those cocktails that are quite elegant so they’re ideal to serve at dinner parties as a pre dinner drink. Plus, it’s a pretty short drink (as opposed to large volume tall drinks like Tequila Sunrises) so you don’t fill up on cocktails before dinner.
And while I say they’re a classy drink, I also think of Cosmos as fun too! Think – Girls’ Nights Out (well, nights IN!), Bachelorette Parties, Christmas (on theme colour!), Thanksgiving, and other holiday occasions!
What to serve with Cosmos
I think Cosmos are the sort of cocktail that are ideal to serve with finger food. Try Crostinis with your choice of toppings, Mini Quiche or Smoked Salmon Appetizer Bites, or have a browse through all my Party Foods.
Cosmopolitan Cocktails would also pair beautifully with a homemade Gravlax. It’s easy – impressive! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Cosmopolitan Cocktails
Ingredients
- 60ml/ 2 oz Vodka (Note 1)
- 30ml/ 1 oz Cointreu
- 90ml/ 3 oz cranberry juice , sweet (not unsweetened, Note 2)
- 2 tsp lime juice , fresh
- Ice
- Orange peel , optional garnish
Instructions
- Fill cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add vodka, cointreau, cranberry juice and lime. Shake vigorously 10 times.
- Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with orange peel.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published October 2019. Writing refreshed in December 2021. No change to my Cosmos!
Life of Dozer
“Play with me, play with me!!” (A daily vision…)
I usually make this with triple sec but was also good with Cointreau just that little bit more tart I think. But went down a treat!!
Awesome post
I’ve tried different cosmopolitan recipes but this is the best one. Thanks as always, Nagi, and hopefully Dozer didn’t taste test this recipe even though he’d enjoy it 😂😊
I prefer mine w/ UNsweetened cranberry juice & Triple Sec instead of Cointreau. Makes a very tasty cocktail & triple sec is much less expensive than Cointreau.
I’d say cointreau is by far as the sweet that you need and then some. Unsweetened cranberry is a very reasonable option, and even putting 3 to 1 vodka to countreau will push you into diabetic range
Love this drink!
Also love the emergency tip, clever! 😂👍🏻
Dozer is so handsome. I literally come to the blog to find out about his adventures! How’s the cookbook coming along?
hi is this an easy cocktail to upsize to put in a large pitcher ? thank you
Yes 100%!!! N x
perfect thank you
Dozer is so cool! I love that he’s in most of your photos. Take care and stay safe. P
Love Cosmos. And a woman that drinks Vodka,straight!
😂
Have you ever tried substituting pomegranate juice for cranberry? It’s scrumptious.
Sounds delicious Mel!!
I can’t keep track anymore of all my favorite recipes on your website (insert crying emoji) any chance we’ll be able to create a recipetin online account straight on your site :O how awesome with that be (insert giggy emoji)
You won’t believe this, but a big secret project I’ve been working on for the last few months is a free “members” section where you can do just that!!! It’s turned out to the more complicated than expected so it’s taking way longer than I thought it would. But it should be out next month! So excited! N xx
I CANNOT WAIT! I am another hopeless fan of your recipes, all the way in Texas! Your recipes are always on point for their flavor profiles, taste- EVERYTHING! So, count me for joining!