As cocktails go, the Cosmopolitan is ubiquitous! 

It is made in almost every bar on the planet and is the cocktail of choice for many people, including such cultural icons as Robert Evans, former head of Paramount Studios, for whom the Cosmo was like mothers milk.

The Cosmo has become a legend,   and it is pink. The cosmo was not the typical masculine style of drink that was often ordered by male patrons of swank bars or dining establishments throughout the latter part of the 20th century.    Somehow, however,  it became fashionable for both men and women to order this very feminine looking martini-like cocktail along with Sidecars, Manhattans and Whisky Sours.

Whether it is made with Ketel One, Grey Goose, Belvedere, or any number of high-quality vodkas, there is so much more to a Cosmo than just the vodka.

The genesis of this column came as the result of a Cosmo experience that I had recently at the patio bar at Mar-a-Lago (Donald Trump’s house/club in Palm Beach, Florida) where a young South African bar tender concocted the greatest Cosmo that I’ve ever had. Having been  trained at the London Bar Institute and at Richard Branson’s Kensington Roof Gardens in London, this young bartender produced the most perfectly balanced and delicious Cosmo that I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. It was the perfect hue of pink; and had the perfect balance of fruit and alcohol. It also contained the perfect amount of lime pulp and tiny shards of ice, which is the secret to a great Cosmo; there must some be texture to the pink liquidity. Without it, the Cosmo would be very one dimensional  It was, de facto, the perfect cosmo.

Served in a chilled martini glass, it was made with Ketel One vodka (a long time favourite of mine) and was neither cloyingly sweet, from too much cointreau, nor was it too alcoholic, with an excess of vodka to make it a power cocktail. It was perfect. Many bartenders will double up on the vodka to deliver a swift jolt to the brain, but that single act puts this otherwise sublime cocktail off balance, as would be the case by adding either too much cranberry juice or cointreau.

A Cosmo must be served very cold, preferably in an iced martini glass so that as it is sipped, the Cosmo stays frigid until completely consumed. At which point in time, it’s definitely time for another.

Cheers.

Brian Greenglass

Resident Cosmologist  seen here at Mar a Lago with Donald Trump    

Recipe for the perfect Cosmo::

In a martini shaker, pour in :

2 oz of Ketel One vodka

 1 oz of Cointreau,

2 oz of Ocean Spray cranberry juice cocktail

Squeeze in the juice and pulp of 1/2 of a ripe lime, add crushed ice  and shake for 30 seconds,.

Pour into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a slice of lime..

There can not be good living where there is not good drinking.

- Benjamin Franklin