The cosmopolitan cocktail’s true inventor is disputed, but Cheryl Cook claims to have invented it in 1985. The most popular recipe today was developed by a Manhattan bartender in 1987, using lemon vodka, Cointreau, lime juice, and cranberry juice. The drink gained popularity after being featured in Sex and the City and has since been updated with variations like blue cosmos and Cosmocello.
A cosmopolitan or cosmo is a cocktail that many explain to South Beach, Florida-based bartender Cheryl Cook. She claims to have invented the drink around 1985. The true inventor of the drink is a matter of dispute, with some others claiming the drink was invented earlier. For example Neal Murray, a Minneapolis bartender, is also credited with inventing the drink in 1975. What is clear is that the original drink Cook invented, is not how the Cosmopolitan is often made these days. ToChecchini, a bartender at Manhattan’s Odeon, developed an alternative version, working on Cook’s version, in 1987, which is the most popular recipe today.
While Cook’s version of the drink was a combination of lemon vodka, triple sec, rose lime and cranberry juice, Checchini changed the recipe to the following:
Two and two thirds are part of the Vodka, preferably Absolut Citron
One part Cointreau: an updated, albeit more expensive, version of triple sec
One part lime juice
Cranberry juice in two parts
The cosmopolitan is shaken over ice and served in a martini glass, usually garnished with a lemon wedge. Many prefer its rosy color and combination of spicy lemon juice and vodka. It’s also important to note that the drink has its antecedents in other cocktails such as the sea breeze, a combination of cranberry juice, vodka and sometimes grapefruit juice, which dates back to its invention in the 1920s. The main difference is the lemony contrast with the citrus notes of grapefruit and the fact that Sea Breeze is typically served in a glass over the rocks instead of being strained and served straight up.
Regardless of who actually first invented the cosmopolitan, as the drink became popular as made by Cook, it was soon in high demand in cities across the country, particularly on both coasts. It was notably used in the popular HBO series Sex and the City as main character Carrie Bradshaw’s drink of choice, and also because her name evoked the cosmopolitan life of Carrie and her friends. The series made the drink even more popular, and it is often referred to as a “girlfriend” drink, when young women party together in bars.
No cocktail can exist without being updated or having alternative versions. There are several new “takes” on the cosmopolitan. These include blue cosmos, which uses white curacao and blueberry juice. Cosmocello adds to the citrus flavor of the drink by replacing limejuice with the Italian lemon liqueur, limoncello.
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