Once I decided I was going to be writing a lot about triple sec this winter, I knew I was going to write about the Cosmopolitan. I expected it to be a takedown of the cocktail culture of the 90s because the drink sucks but got popular anyway because of a TV show.
Unfortunately for me, that plan didn’t work because the drink is actually pretty good, and it deserves a lot more respect than it gets. This isn’t much of a #hottake (that’s not what I do), but this is one of the first times I’ve really had to challenge my own perceptions after I’ve been telling readers to challenge their own for a while now.
So, let’s talk about why I no longer hate the Cosmo.
Context
Unlike some other classic drinks that happen to feature Cointreau, the genesis of the Cosmo is fairly well-established. While there is some debate about who truly made it first (and very similar drinks were popping up in the 30s), the modern creator is established to be Cheryl Cook, who slang drinks in South Beach in the 80s.
However, a bright pink drink in a martini glass didn’t take off until Toby Cecchini started making them at Odeon in Tribeca. The story goes he heard a poor interpretation of Cheryl’s drink that he then made his own, more informed by the popular stripped-down margarita he was making as well.
Regardless of the recipe, the real genesis of the drink was the introduction of Absolut Citron in 1988 (and earlier for bars). Absolut Citron was the first mass-market flavored vodka, and people went nuts for it. Where vodka is judged on its true tastelessness, Ctiron was here to throw that out the window and put flavor directly in the liquor.
It was a revelation to bartenders and drinkers alike, and both groups rushed to make new drinks. Vodka martinis with a twist were popular, but the new flavored vodka opened up that world to new possibilities. Fruit juices in place of vermouth make the drink sweeter and more straightforward, and it also looks striking in a martini glass.
It didn’t take long for patrons to see a hot pink martini coming out from the bar to start ordering it themselves (the genius here being that the drink isn’t a martini in any way, shape, or form). Then, it popped up in the zeitgeist in earnest when Sarah Jessica Parker kept ordering them on HBO.
From there it was a gradual decline into obscurity with so much of what got popular in the 90s. Unlike most of those , the Cosmo really didn’t deserve it (though I would say that flavored vodka in general deserves its decline).
Side note: flavored vodka is dangerously close to just being gin. This is especially true when, as is the case with Absolut, the vodka is distilled from grain (Absolut is wheat vodka). The difference is that Gin has to also be distilled with juniper. Then, many more herbs and aromatics are added after distillation to give a gin a more unique character, and that process happens for flavored vodkas as well. They just tend to be more one-note than even the most basic of gins.
Making the Drink
There are two schools of the Cosmo, and which you fall into depends on which vodka you prefer. The IBA still uses Absolut Citron specifically for this drink, whereas a version with straight vodka has also gotten popular (this is the one that Cointreau publishes since they compete with Absolut’s parent company…).
Regardless of which vodka you use, you’ll need Cointreau, fresh lime juice, and good cranberry juice. True fresh 100% cranberry juice is quite expensive, so I use cranberry juice from concentrate. Whatever you do, don’t use the standard cranberry juice cocktail which is really just tart apple juice. That will always make the drink too sweet, and it’s probably why it started getting less popular.
The Old Way
They New Way
Tasting Notes
Regardless of the recipe you use, you’ll taste sweetness from the triple sec, tartness from the cranberry juice, and sour from the lime juice all distinctly. The proportion of these flavors, however, differs dramatically by recipe.
The Old Way
The drink starts very tart from the cranberry juice, hiding any fire from the vodka. It gives way to a blend of sweet and sour and finishes with a little bit of vodka heat.
Overall, this tastes like a well-balanced fruit juice that I really enjoy and happens to have some booze in it.
They New Way
The drink starts with orange sweetness followed immediately by the bite from the vodka on the palate. It finishes with acidity and tartness in equal measure, giving a very dry to finish to a sweet start.
This is much more spirit-forward and wouldn’t feel out-of-place on a modern cocktail menu at all.
Riffs
There’s a lot I want to try here.
The cranberry juice almost works like a sweetened amaro in some ways with how dry it is on the palate, which opens up a lot of possibilities for interesting usage there.
The Cointreau could easily be replaced by other fruit liqueurs (I think maraschino would work well) or could be eliminated entirely in favor of a little bit of a good syrup to get the sugar into the drink.
The vodka itself could be replaced by a subtle, citrus-y gin to give the drink a lot more herb balance as well.
This won’t be the last I write about rehabilitating the Cosmo!