The Perfect Cosmo

Sex and the City cast...look how young they were!

If you know me well...you know I love an ice cold cosmopolitan on Friday night.  I started drinking them long before Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha made them famous on Sex and The City (one of my all-time favorite T.V. shows).

When I was twelve-years-old my dad sat me and my older brother at the bar in his house to teach us how to make and order a proper drink...and how to drink responsibly (His number one rule was never to water down his liquor).  While this lesson served as great material for therapy later...I will say I do know how to make a mean drink (margarita's, cosmos, gin fizz...I could have been a bartender)...I think it is an art form of sorts.

About twelve years ago I was in Vegas at a mini storage convention (this is too long a story to share...needless to say I am not in that business anymore... yet another daddy issue!) with my father, step mom, and my business partner.  One evening the three girls (I say girls because my step mom was only 6 years older than me) went to Spago's and while waiting for our table we sat at the bar and enjoyed the best cosmopolitans I have ever had.

They were so good, we kept ordering them like candy (not good news, because two is really my limit and the next day we had wicked hangovers).  Four cosmos later...I was very tipsy, feeling no pain, but the 'good news' was I had the recipe in hand.  The bartender was so sweet he gave me lessons...long before the third drink.

So below is the recipe and my advice is to keep it to no more than two... most people prefer one because they can kick your ass.  And no cosmos and driving!

Materials Needed:  Shaker, Martini Glass, Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail, Kettle One Vodka, Cointreau, Fresh Lime and Ice

First, take your martini glass and fill with ice water to chill glass for about 5 minutes.

Second, fill shaker with ice and add the following ingredients (no substitutions!) below:

1.0 ounces Kettle One Vodka
1.0 ounce  Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail (do not substitute another brand!)
.50 ounces Cointreau (if you like it sweeter go for .75)
.25 ounces Fresh Squeezed Lime (freshness is the key ingredient)

The Perfect Color Cosmo!

Shake really hard so you have shards of ice in your drink...pour into chilled martini glass...sip slowly, and enjoy!

Thanks to Elsie for letting me experiment and take photos at her house...to ensure the recipe was correct!

My youngest has had the flu all week and I am running on vapors...is it five o'clock yet?