"contemporary cocktail”

it is an iconic drink, a symbol of emancipation and femininity, which immediately makes you think of New York and the glittering evenings of the Big Apple. A symbol of New York elegance and style.

It is no coincidence that he became famous in the 90s, thanks to the singer Madonna, photographed at the Rainbow Room in New York with a glass of Cosmo, and the television series Sex and the City, whose protagonist, Carrie Bradshaw, tells of her social life sipping this red drink.

Its origins are uncertain: it is said that the recipe for Cosmopolitan was developed by a bartender at "The Strand" restaurant in South Beach.

Another version of the story has it that it was invented in the 1950s after a famous cramberry juice company held a competition featuring blueberries, a famous ingredient in the United States. 

Due to its high alcohol content, equal to 22°, it is considered an "anytime cocktail", perfect to sip on any occasion - both as an aperitif and as an accompaniment to a light dinner 

Ingredients

Vodka or Vodka citron 4 cl

Cointreau   1.5 cl

Lemon or Lime juice  1,5cl

Cranberry juice   3cl

Tools: 1 shaker,  1 citrus juicer, 1 strainer, 1 jigger,  1 martini glass.

How to prepare 

-       start by placing the Martini glass in the freezer for about ten minutes or, alternatively, filling it with ice. 

-       Squeeze the lemon (or lime) juice with a citrus juicer and filter it through a narrow mesh strainer 

-       Equip yourself with a Boston shaker, consisting of a small bell and a mixing tin (larger jug).

-       combine all the ingredients in the shaker together with the ice,

-        shake vigorously and pour the drink, filtering it with the strainer.

-        Finally, decorate it with a slice of lime on the edge of the glass or on the surface of the drink itself. 

Advice: To prepare the Cosmopolitan you can replace the cointreau with triple sec, a sweet liqueur with a very similar taste. To get as much juice as possible from the lime, however, follow this trick that bartenders use for Mojitos: rub the fruit between your hands to heat it slightly.

Variants

The Cosmopolitan is a very well-known cocktail which, as such, lends itself to numerous revisitations. The most famous are undoubtedly the following: the White Cosmopolitan, prepared with white cranberry juice, the Blue Cosmopolitan, with white cranberry juice and blue curaçao instead of cointreau, and the Metropolitan, which replaces the triple sec with crème de cassis .

Dishes: light dinner.