Sex And The City Cocktail Recipe and history - Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan cocktail recipe - Learn how to make the infamous Sex and the city cocktail with ease from the comfort of your home.
Sex and the City did more then just create great T.V. Sex and the City single handily boosted the popularity of what was already one of the worlds most popular cocktails - the Cosmopolitan. Seriously, take a look at what the most popular cocktail every year for the last 20 years has been and you will see the impact of Sex and the City and the Cosmopolitans success.
Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe Video
The Cosmopolitan Cocktail History
This classic cocktail that is the Cosmopolitan was thought to be a spin of from the classic Daisy. The Daisy was a style of sour drink made from spirit, citrus and some kind of flavour modifier. Think Margarita or Whisky Sour. All these drinks have evolved from the same style, the Daisy. Which fun fact, is what the Margarita is named after. Margarita means Daisy in Spanish. But this isn’t about the Margarita, you can read all about that here. This is about the Cosmo.
Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars
There is a cocktail book from 1934 called Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars . In said book there is a Daisy recipe that is somewhat similar to the Cosmo as we know it today. Similar taste and similar colour. That drink was one made with Vodka, Cointreau, lemon juice and raspberry syrup.
Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice
In the late 60s Ocean spray cranberry juice had a cocktail made up of Ocean Spray Cranberry, vodka, and a splash of lime, served on the rocks or in a Collins glass with soda. A recipe which was listed on the Ocean spray bottle in 1968.
So far it seems we have somewhat of an evolution of that 1934 daisy recipe that is making its way to the classic Cosmopolitan cocktail as we know it today. But all this is just assumptions. It wasn’t until the 1980s when that Absolut vodkas release of Absolut citron, their citrus flavoured vodka that the Cosmo really started its life.
A Popular Story
Now, as the story goes, a rep for Cointreau was introduced to the Cosmo in 1987 at The Odeon in Manhattan. A retro haven that welcomed the likes of Madonna and Andy Warhol. The Cosmo found there was one which consisted of Absolut citron, Cointreau, cranberry juice and lime cordial. The Cointreau rep thought to be Toby Cecchini put his own spin on this cosmopolitan replacing the lime cordial with fresh lime juice and serving it in a martini glass as opposed to a rocks glass filled with ice. And so the modern day cosmopolitan was born.
Sex and the City’s part in the making of the Cosmopolitan
It’s the mid 80s and the Cosmo as we know it today is thought to have just been born thanks to a Cointreau rep and bartender at the Odeon in Manhattan. During the early 90s this drink was massively popular throughout the Manhattan bar scene. This was the drink that wealthy celebrities who like to disco and drink would order and so it grew in popularity.
However, even though it was a sweet and sour cocktail it still packed a punch. It was thought of as somewhat of a man's drink. Sure, it was bright pink, but it was crammed full of vodka which in those times made it “masculine”.
It wasn’t until Sex and the City when this drink became known as a “girlie drink” The Cosmo isn’t actually mentioned in Sex and the city until season two. After which it became known as “the Sex and the city drink” I can see why it was chosen as the girls drink of choice. It was strong and sophisticated, but also pretty and pink. Pretty much summed up the gals perfectly if you ask me.
This was all during the late 90s and early 00s. After some time marinating in that Sex and the city juice the cocktails reputation quickly went from sophisticated to a basic bitch drink.
But we must remember that at one time. This drink was thought of as sophisticated and can be sophisticated once more!
That is the power that T.V and film has on cocktails. It’s often the case that movies adapt cocktails for characters and the way we see them changes. Just take a look at these other cocktails from T.V and movies.
Sex and the City Cocktail Recipe
Cosmopolitan
Ingredients
Instructions
- Shake everything in a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Fine strain into an ice cold coupe.
Notes
If you'd like a sweeter variation of this classic, try it with a dash of sugar syrup.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
26.22Fat
0.03 gSat. Fat
0 gCarbs
8.45 gFiber
1.58 gNet carbs
6.87 gSugar
2.95 gProtein
0.87 gSodium
1.38 mgCholesterol
0 mgThe nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Advanced cosmopolitan recipe
Want to spruce up your Cosmo? I have an advanced Cosmo recipe to which I take you through clearly and easily step by step how to make a pre-batched milk punch clarified and carbonated cosmopolitan from the comfort of your own home. Check that out below.