How to Make a Cosmopolitan Cocktail Drink

5 from 6 votes
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The cosmopolitan cocktail drink is one of the most popular cocktails in the world. Made in a martini glass and comprised of Vodka, Cointreau, lime juice and cranberry, it’s also incredibly easy to make.

Cosmopolitan Cocktail Drink in a regular size martini glasses garnish with oranges, limes and cranberries
The Cosmopolitan Cocktail Drink

How to make a good Cosmopolitan

Preparing a good cosmopolitan is as easy as :

  • combining the four ingredients in a Boston Shaker with ice
  • shake until the shaker is cold to the touch on the outside
  • pour into a regular sized martini glass.

Cosmopolitan Cocktail Drink Video

Here’s a quick video we put together to show you how easy it is to make a Cosmopolitan. It also happens to be one of Mrs. Magpie’s favourite drinks so she tends to steal them on me but hey, what good’s a drink if nobody likes it?

Mike’s Tip and Tricks for the Perfect Cosmopolitan Cocktail Drink

  1. As I mentioned earlier, you can substitute Vodka Citron in for the vodka in this recipe if you want to add a lemon flavor to the drink. There are also plenty of other flavored vodka’s out there so feel free to experiment.
  2. Use a Boston Shaker to combine the ingredients and get everything nice and cold, it’s much better than mixing things with a bar spoon. You can pick up a Boston Shaker from Amazon below if you like:[amazon_link asins=’B073L557JF’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’magpie-inpost-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’54cf05ba-844a-11e8-8c4f-671b5f6d5a80′]
  3. For garnishes, use oranges, limes or cranberries. I like to combine my garnishes like I did in this shot to make things a bit prettier but you can see another alternative within our video as well.
  4. Avoid using ice in the drink as, for most martini style drinks that aren’t frozen, it should be made ice free.

Are Triple Sec and Cointreau the same thing?

You’ll often see recipes mention Triple Sec for this drink but Cointreau is what I am using here. There’s no difference between them. Cointreau is simply a brand of Triple Sec made in Saint-Barthélemy-d’Anjou, France

Close up of Cosmopolitan Cocktail Drink in a regular size martini glasses garnish with oranges, limes and cranberries
Close-up of the Cosmopolitan cocktail drink and it’s garnish.

There are some variations of the drink that use Vodka Citron (lemon flavored) as opposed to normal vodka but that is up to your personal preference since Vodka Citron can sometimes be a hard item to find in your local liquor store.

Other great Vodka Recipes to try:

  1. The Blue Lagoon Cocktail Drink
  2. The Vodka Melon Ball Cocktail
  3. Sex on the Beach Cocktail
  4. Greyhound Cocktail Recipe
  5. How to Make a Sea Breeze Cocktail
  6. Raspberry Cordial Vodka Martini

Hope you like it! Safe drinking!

Mike

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How to Make a Cosmopolitan Cocktail Drink

The cosmopolitan cocktail drink is one of the most popular cocktails in the world. Made in a martini glass and comprised of Vodka, Cointreau, lime juice and cranberry, it's also incredibly easy to make.
5 from 6 votes
Close up of Cosmopolitan Cocktail Drink in a regular size martini glasses garnish with oranges, limes and cranberries
Prep Time
5 minutes
Total Time
5 minutes
Course
Cocktail
Cuisine
cocktails
Servings
1
Calories
158
Author
Karlynn Johnston

Ingredients
 

  • 1/2 ounce lime juice fresh
  • 1 ounce cranberry juice
  • 1/2 ounce Cointreau (or another brand of Triple Sec)
  • 1 1/2 ounces Vodka (or Vodka Citron)

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice.
  • Shake well and double strain into large cocktail glass.
  • Garnish with lime wheel.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

You can also use a cranberry on a skewer as a garnish if desired.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 158kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Sodium: 2mg, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin C: 6.9mg

All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

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Mr. Kitchen Magpie

Hey everyone! I'm Mike (Mr. Kitchen Magpie). When I'm not sharing cocktail recipes here and on my Instagram (@mrkitchenmagpie), I'm enjoying a nice bottle of scotch in a vintage glass from my barware collection.

Learn more about me

Site Index Cointreau Cranberry Triple sec Vodka

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  1. Healthy Kitchen 101 says

    Wow, it looks easy to make. Honestly, I have never made any cocktails myself but planning to buy some ingredients to make at home in order not to spend too much on bars or pubs. Save this recipe!!
    – Natalie Ellis5 stars

  2. Annette says

    All these drinks sound wonderful and definitely gonna try them all……

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