I can’t speak from experience, but from what I’ve heard, the 80s were dominated by the martini. Appletini, Espresso Martini, Melontini, you name it. But what’s that? Cutting through the smoke machine fog, a bright pink beacon served up in an oversized martini glass screams “look at me!” over the noise of the crowd. Hello, Cosmo.
Two bartenders are widely credited with popularizing the cocktail: John Caine out of San Francisco and Toby Cecchini in New York City. This drink took over both cities for an entire decade, but like any fad, its stardom faded almost entirely by the mid ‘90s. But its story wasn’t finished forever. In the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, a certain popular TV show reintroduced this pink herald and suddenly, it was everywhere again.
Created in a decade of flaunt and excess only to be revived by said show, it’s no surprise that there are some common misconceptions about this cocktail. First of all, the Cosmo is not a sweet drink. It may look like candy, but the combination of citron vodka—in the case of this recipe, vodka from our sponsor, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, infused with lemon slices—lime juice, and cranberry results in a tart, refreshing drink. The addition of orange liqueur rounds out the body of the drink while completing the citrus trifecta.
Make-ahead note: Allow at least 12 hours for your vodka to infuse with the lemon before using. —Harper Fendler
This recipe is sponsored by Tito's Handmade Vodka.
*TitosVodka.com* Crafted to be savored responsibly. DISTILLED & BOTTLED BY FIFTH GENERATION INC. AUSTIN, TEXAS 40% ALC./VOL. ©2023 TITO’s HANDMADE VODKA. —Food52
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