Cosmopolitan Cocktail and Roasted Nuts with Rosemary
I’ve had my blog for a while, over twenty years now, and one of the first recipes I posted on it was for a Cosmopolitan cocktail. Back then, in the 1990s, Cosmopolitans were still the rage. Much of it was due to Sex in the City, where they were the drink of choice for four women who were close friends, trying to find their way in New York City, navigating through boyfriends, parties, careers, and cocktail bars. During their get-togethers, the cocktail of choice was always a round of Cosmos.
The cocktail become somewhat of a cliché and faded from popularity as the craft cocktail movement elbowed in. But everyone once in a while, I still like a Cosmopolitan.
Unlike other colorful drinks, the Cosmopolitan isn’t sweet. It’s just the right balance between tangy and fruity, with vodka as a base; it’s not overly flavorful but provides a nifty “hit” of booze and doesn’t compete with the other flavors.
This drink was the creation of Toby Cecchini, who now owns the Long Island Bar in Brooklyn, one of my favorite bars anywhere. He’s a pretty quiet guy, so it’s hard to imagine him working at the Odeon, a restaurant and bar in Manhattan that was incredibly popular, especially with celebrities. Toby lived in Paris for a while and keeps a stash of French spirits in a closet behind the bar that’s so narrow, you need to walk sideways down it. It reminds me of some of the elevators in old Paris buildings!
Due to the pink color, the Cosmopolitan became especially popular in San Francisco, and I was probably responsible for drinking at least my share of them, if not a few more. But still, to this day, I shake up a Cosmo every once in a while at home, and relax with one of the best classic cocktails ever invented.
Cosmopolitan Cocktails and Roasted Nuts with Rosemary
- 1 1/2 ounces vodka
- 3/4 ounce triple sec
- 1/2 ounce cranberry juice
- 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 small lime wedge, for garnish
- Chill a coupe or martini glass in the freezer.
- Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker, except for the lime wedge, fill two-thirds full with ice, and shake vigorously
- Strain into the icy cold cocktail glasse and garnish with a lime wedge.