Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe Lemon

The Cosmopolitan cocktail is a beautiful reddish-pink gem of a drink. It features citron vodka with fruit juice and Cointreau and lime.

The origins of the Cosmopolitan or uncertain. It’s credited to several different bartenders in the 70s and 80s, with the most common origin story being that it was created by a Florida bartender in the mid-80s.

But in recent years, someone has unearthed a recipe from 1934 from a book called Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars. It’s called the Cosmopolitan Daisy and it sounds a lot like our Cosmopolitan, only with gin and raspberry syrup instead of vodka and cranberry juice.

Cosmopolitan Cocktail — 4 Ingredient Recipe — Fried Dandelions — Plant Based Recipes

The exact version of the recipe included here could be from any of the sources who have claimed credit over the years. We’ll also mention some possible variations.

One thing we can say for sure: the version of this drink with citron vodka can’t be older than 1988 because that’s when Absolut first started producing Citron. And that is now considered the official version.

The first time I had a Cosmopolitan cocktail was at a famous hotel in Los Angeles. I was visiting a friend there who was staying there, and she recommended it.

Pink Cosmo (how To Make A Great Cosmopolitan Cocktail)

That hotel made an incredible Cosmopolitan. Possibly the best I’ve ever tasted, or maybe it was just a case of the first time with any new thing being so memorable. Whatever the case, my first thought on tasting it was “fresh.”

That was literally the word that came to mind. And my next thought was “pink lemonade” because it reminded me of the first time I tasted that when I was a kid.

There are different recipes for pink lemonade, but we always had was a combination of cranberry juice and lemon juice. The Cosmopolitan has that combination of sharp and sweet – berry and citrus.

The Perfect Cosmo

But the citrus was the strongest note. That particular cocktail was made with Absolut Citron, which enhanced the citrus flavors from the lime juice and orange liqueur. And it had fresh lime juice.

Some bars make this drink more sweet, and it’s all a matter of personal preference. If you prefer them on the dry side, you definitely want to use Citron and fresh lime.

Let’s talk about what ingredients to use in the Cosmopolitan. For the vodka, Absolut Citron was specified originally because the drink was invented when it came out.

Cosmopolitan Champagne Cocktail

Some versions of this recipe call for plain vodka. And you can make it that way. But the Citron adds a lot of enjoyable citrus flavor.

The recipe originally called for Rose’s Sweetened Lime instead of fresh squeezed lime juice. Rose’s adds some sweetness, which may or may not be what you like in this drink.

More recent recipes call for fresh lime juice, which will give it a nice tart flavor. Lime juice goes wonderfully with cranberry.

Cranberry Vodka Cosmo Cocktail

For the cranberry juice, you just want a standard bottle of grocery store cranberry juice, which is actually a blend of cranberry with some sweeter fruit juices to ease the tartness.

This is a great drink for just about any occasion. It’s great for a night out or a night in. It’s also great to enjoy on a warm day by the pool.

If you love this drink, you should also check out the Sea Breeze, which blends vodka with cranberry and grapefruit juice. The Lemon Drop Martini is another classic featuring vodka with orange liqueur, lemon juice and sugar.

How To Make A Cosmopolitan Cocktail

You might also want to try the Singapore Sling, a gorgeous drink with gin, cherry brandy, pineapple juice, Cointreau, Benedictine and more.

And then there’s the Smooth Pink Lemonade, with its down home appeal coming from vodka, cranberry juice, sweet and sour and 7-up.

Also delicious is the Long Beach Iced Tea, featuring a generous amount of white liquors with cranberry juice and triple sec for flavor.

Cosmo Cocktail Recipe

Learn how to make the Cosmopolitan cocktail at home. This old classic features vodka, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice and more. It’s amazingly refreshing and delicious!What’s in a cosmopolitan cocktail? It’s easier to make than you think! This vibrant pink drink is perfect for celebrations of all kinds.

It’s got a brilliant pink color and tangy, refreshing flavor: yes, it’s a Cosmo! A Cosmopolitan cocktail, to be exact. This great cocktail is ready to spice up your next gathering, be it a dinner party or drinks on the patio with friends. It was at its height in the 1990’s (hello, Sex and the City) and sometimes makes purists roll their eyes. BUT! The Cosmo is a legit sour cocktail that’s worth drinking: the beautiful color is reason in itself. Here’s how to make it!

A Cosmopolitan Cocktailis a classic alcoholic drink made with cranberry juice and vodka with a distinctive pink color. The history of the Cosmo is disputed: some claim it was invented in the 1930’s, others in the 1970’s. (Read all about it if you want to geek out.)

How To Make A Cosmopolitan Cocktail Drink

What’s in a Cosmo? The classic version of this cocktail uses Citron vodka, cranberry juice (usually sweetened), Cointreau, and lime. Why make our version of this classic? Keep reading.

We have a long list of cocktail recipes where we break down each method so you don’t have to be a cocktail expert! We’ve got all the classic cocktails, from gin fizz to whiskey sour to French 75 to Moscow mule. Why make our modern spin on the Cosmopolitan cocktail?

A Cosmopolitan cocktail purist would say that a “real” Cosmo uses citron vodka, a lemon-flavored vodka that brings a nice citrus zing. However, for our recipe we wanted to use ingredients everyone would have in their pantry. So this recipe uses standard vodka plus lemon juice.

The Classic Cosmopolitan Cocktail Ingredients

If you have citron vodka on hand already, absolutely use it here and omit the lemon juice. (Citron vodka also stars in a classic Lemon Drop Martini, another great place to use it!)

Traditional versions of a Cosmopolitan cocktail use sweetened cranberry juice. But for our version, we used 100% cranberry juice (unsweetened). There are lots of variations of cranberry juice on the shelf, and many of them have added sugar. Bottles labeledcranberry juice cocktail have added sugars or high-fructose corn syrup for extra sweetness. Why use unsweetened cranberry juice?

The sugar level in a Cosmopolitan cocktail usually comes from using sweetened cranberry juice. But we like our drinks on the tart side without a lot of added sugars. The 100% cranberry juice makes a crisp and tart Cosmo drink. We’ve specified to add 1 teaspoon of simple syrup, but if you’d like, you can make it more tart or a little more sweet.

Perfect Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe

Want to use up that leftover cranberry juice? There are lots of great cranberry cocktail recipes to make with it! Here are a few ideas:

**If you have it, use citron vodka for the most authentic Cosmo: in this case you can omit the lemon juice. In our tests we found it was just as tasty to use standard vodka with lemon juice, so you don’t have to buy another type of vodka.Travel to the '90s with this Cosmopolitan cocktail recipe! This classic vodka and cranberry juice drink may be retro, but it's still refreshing and delicious.

, you have to learn how to make a Cosmopolitan cocktail, or Cosmo for short. This tart, refreshing vodka drink is a hallmark of the show, and when you watch Carrie and friends sip enough of them, you can’t help but want to try one.

Perfect Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe!

Reboot (who else is tuning in for season 2 this week?!). It has a gorgeous blush pink color and a sweet and tangy taste. Sure, a classic Cosmo is a little 1990s. But it’s also delicious. Cheers!

The Cosmo cocktail as we know it today evolved from a 1930s drink, the Cosmopolitan 1934. Its ingredients included gin, Cointreau, and lemon juice, and raspberry syrup gave it its pink color.

New York City bartender Toby Cecchini is commonly cited as the creator of the modern Cosmopolitan. He developed the vodka and cranberry juice cocktail in the late 1980s using Absolut Citron vodka, a citrus-flavored vodka that was new on the market at the time.

Simple Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe

A Cosmo is traditionally served in a coupe or martini glass, but of course, you can use whatever type of glass you like.

An orange or lemon twist is a classic garnish. If you’re still working on your citrus twisting skills, an untwisted piece of zest will work great instead. Just peel a strip of zest from an orange or lemon using a vegetable peeler. Careful not to cut off too much of the white pith!

Make this Cosmo recipe for a happy hour or dinner party, a girls’ night in, or any celebration. It’s vibrant, refreshing, and retro in a fun way. I hope you love it!

Classic Cosmopolitan Recipe

This easy Cosmopolitan cocktail recipe is great for parties and girls' nights! The classic vodka and cranberry juice drink has a vibrant pink color and delicious sweet-tart taste.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.This is my favorite recipe for the famous Cosmopolitan cocktail. This recipe is perfectly balanced