Name: Cosmopolitan Cocktail (Dale DeGroff's recipe)
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Citrus vodka; 22.5 ml Triple sec; 30 ml Cranberry juice; 7.5 ml Lime juice

Ingredients

1 1/2 fl oz

Ketel One Citroen Vodka

3/4 fl oz

Cointreau L'Unique triple sec liqueur

1 fl oz

Cranberry juice (sweetened)

1/4 fl oz

Lime juice (freshly squeezed)

How to make

Glassware

Prepare

Select and pre-chill a MARTINI GLASS.

Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

Method

SHAKE all ingredients with ice.

FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

EXPRESS flamed orange zest twist over cocktail, then use as garnish.

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Cosmopolitan Cocktail (Dale DeGroff's recipe) contains 166 calories

Alcohol content:

1.5 standard drinks
18.91% alc./vol. (37.82° proof)
21.3 grams of pure alcohol

History

In his 2002 The Craft of the Cocktail, Dale DeGroff explains that while he did not invent the Cosmopolitan, "What I did do was popularize a definitive recipe that became widely accepted as the standard." He also gives the above recipe but with just ½oz (15ml) Cointreau, a measure which he increased to ¾oz (22.5ml) for the 2020 Revised Edition of his book. This could be as much due to a reduction of sugar in Cointreau to conform with fashion since Dale created his recipe at Manhattan's Rainbow Rooms in the mid-1990s as his revisiting and polishing an old recipe.

Cosmopolitan
1½ ounces citron vodka
½ ounce Cointreau
¼ ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce cranberry juice
Flamed orange coin for garnish
Shake all the ingredients (except the garnish) with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the flamed orange zest coin.

Dale DeGroff, The Craft Of The Cocktail, 2002

COSMOPOLITAN
1½ ounces Absolut Citron vodka
¾ ounce Cointreau
¼ ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce cranberry juice
Flamed orange coin for garnish
Shake all the ingredients (except the garnish) with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the flamed orange zest coin.

Dale DeGroff, The New Craft Of The Cocktail, 2020

See Cosmopolitan cocktail history for Dale's role in the development of this contemporary classic.

Comments & Discussion

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Joseph Nelson Premium Member 38w

This is my preferred Cosmo recipe. I keep the proportions exact to the 2020 standard, I make sure I use a good cranberry mixer (cranberry/cherry is a personal favorite) and I add just a splash of grenadine, which is my only alteration. It's so good I'm sipping one right now as I type this comment!

Andy Shaw 1y

I use Biona organic pure Cranberry juice, frozen in 30ml cubes for storage, with 20ml of 2:1 sugar syrup added. Tasty!

Suzy Francis 2y

Created this account to say this: Eager cranberry juice isnt your best bet as its main ingredient is actually Apple juice - only 26% cranberry juice. I found the cosmos i made with this tasted weird - i prefer ocean spray :)

Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member 2y

100% cranberry juice is so intense and bitter that it is undrinkable (courtesy of Ocean Spray; years ago, I was sent samples to test as a cocktail ingredient). Hence, all cranberry juice drink products are diluted with other ingredients. Perhaps better that’s with other naturally sweet fruit juices than water and sugar/sweeteners. Please see “Ocean Spray Cranberry Classic Juice Drink” ingredients: “Water, Cranberry Juice from Concentrate (24%), Milled Cranberry Purée (4%), Sugar, Vitamin C, Flavourings, Sweetener (Steviol Glycosides from Stevia).”

Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member 2y

Correction - Ocean Spray has two products in the UK with 24% cranberry juice from concentrate in their ‘Cranberry Original Juice Drink’ and 27% for their ‘Cranberry Classic’.

Kjell Eriksson Premium Member 2y

This version of the Cosmos is served at least one a month in our household, and probably 3-4 times during the summer months.

Elspeth Shimon 3y

No. This cosmo is incorrect. Needs more lime, less cranberry.

Brandon Fosdick 4y

When out of Triple Sec, orange Vodka works well enough

Cheryl Charming 4y

If you are interested, my deep dive Cosmopolitan cocktail research is here: https://www.misscharming.com/comopolitancocktailhistory

[removed] 5y

Comment removed

Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member 5y

Diluted cranberry syrup will be sweeter than cranberry juice. Also seems a faff.

Jens Nielsen 4y

I drink the remaining cranberry the day after - makes me feel healthy

Brandon John 4y

Man. If I couldn't even be bothered freezing water, or finishing off half a litre of juice, I think I'd find another hobby other than cocktail-making, personally.