How to Make a Classic Cosmopolitan

How to Make a Classic Cosmo

By Kimberly Dawn Neumann

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a fan of a really well-mixed Cosmopolitan. And no, it isn’t just because I frequently get called a real-life “Carrie Bradshaw,” though obviously the similarities are difficult to ignore.

That said, all Cosmos are NOT created equal. In fact, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ordered my fave drink and ended up with some sticky sweet over-cranberry-juiced cocktail. As a result I learned to mix a pretty great Kimberly Dawn version for my friends (through trial and error) but just this week, I got the “real” recipe thanks to a fantastic House Tonics event I attended at the SoHo House.

Turns out that the fine art of Cosmo mixing should leave you thinking pink…a very light pink. “A really good Cosmopolitan should arrive with just a hint of color in your glass,” says Mashia Maxwell, Bar Manager for the SoHo House New York. “If it’s too red, you’ve got nothing more than a vodka cranberry.”

The recipe for the Classic Cosmo was originally finessed by Dale DeGroff who was working at the Rainbow Room in New York City at the time (coincidentally, he apparently has a 6-degrees-of-separation link with about every top bartender in the Big Apple). And yes, the gals from Sex and the City are credited with bringing it into the mainstream. But the reality is, even after the second movie went the way of Abu Dhabi, the drink is still soaring in popularity.

Feel like mixing your own? Here is the recipe used by all the bartenders at the SoHo House (you know, the club that Samantha couldn’t get into so she had to steal someone’s card to use the pool). Now you can have a taste of the SoHo House too!

The Classic Cosmopolitan – SoHo House Style

2 oz Absolut Citron

1 oz Cointreau

1/2 oz Lime Juice

1/4 oz Cranberry Juice

Lemon twist

Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into a cocktail/martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.