A cosmopolitan is definitely an oldie, but a goodie. It is delicious, refreshing, and well balanced.
If you’re a fan of the HBO show Sex and the City….then you already know all about this cocktail. If not…..then just keep on reading. But essentially, a cosmopolitan is simply spirit, liqueur, lime, and a touch of fruit juice.
Lets talk Liqueur
There’s so many liqueurs out in the world it could take a lifetime to truly explore the infinite collection. So…..we are only going to talk about a key ingredient in this cocktail which is an orange liqueur. But before we get started lets talk briefly about the definition of liqueur. Not to be confused with liquor, liqueur is often sweet. The spirits are mingled with fruits, flowers, herbs, or nuts and of course sugar.
The Process
There’s two ways in which the spirit can be made into a liqueur either by infusion or maceration. The process can take anywhere from several minutes to several years. So, it starts off with a base spirit either gin, whiskey, or neutral grain spirit. With maceration, the (fruit, flower, nuts, herbs, or roots) are soaked and softened into the base spirit. During this process the flavors and essences are absorb into the the spirit. The other process infusion pretty much follows the same procedure. But with infusion heat is used to extract and incorporate flavor. Once the spirit has been modified (by either infusion or maceration) sugar is added to the mix. And the liqueur is left to sit to fully develop the flavor.
Orange Liqueur
Now that we know the basics….lets talk orange liqueur. Well orange liqueur does taste like oranges, some liqueurs are sweet well others are more dry. There’s a few options on the market, so you’ll find below the deets about orange liqueur.
- Triple Sec – Triple sec contains many many options for orange liqueur and all range at different price points (the main differences are the quality, flavor, and sweetness). The term triple sec is very generic because several brands call their orange liqueur that name. Normally a triple sec is 60 proof, more high in brands such as Cointreau and Combier are 80 proof.
- Curaçao – This is the oldest style of orange liqueur that originated in the Caribbean island of its name. The widely popular curacao is blue curacao (often used to make blue cocktails) which is 60 proof. But curacao is also available in orange, green, and clear.
- Grand Marnier – Is a cognac based orange liqueur, it can be drunk on its own. Grand marnier (80 proof) has a brown hue to it and is definitely stronger than your average triple sec.
Making a Cosmopolitan
Like we keep saying this cocktail is super easy and simple to make. First, place a clean martini glass into your freezer. This ensures the cocktail stays nice n cold. In a cocktail shaker add the ingredients vodka, cranberry juice, orange liqueur, fresh lime juice, ice, and sugar if desired. Shake it up! Using a Hawthorne strainer add this lovely cocktail into the chilled glass. And just like that…you’re done!
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Interested in more cocktails? Well here are a few more:
Cosmopolitan
Ingredients
- 1½ oz. Vodka
- ½ oz. Orange liqueur
- ½ oz. Cranberry juice 100% Juice
- ¾ oz. Freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tsp Sugar optional
Instructions
- To a cocktail shaker, add the vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry juice, lime juice, and ice. Shake for 15-30 seconds. Pour the cocktail into a chilled martini glass. Enjoy!