![]() ![]() Notably, Jerry Thomas, author of The Bar-tender’s Guide (1876), perfected his craft at the El Dorado saloon in San Francisco, where he created the Blue Blazer - a drink more concerned with presentation than taste (a critique sometimes lobbed at early versions of the cosmo).įlash forward to the 1970-80s and San Francisco saw a little extra flair in its nightlife. ![]() The Bay Area has long been a flashpoint for important developments in American bar culture. ![]() “The fact that it was presented in a martini coupe … certainly its name, and the timely ingredients - citrus vodka and Cointreau.” Love HangoverĪn artist needs inspiration from somewhere, and it’s not surprising that San Francisco supplied that liquid inspiration to Cecchini and Huffsmith-Roth. “I think there are a few things that gave the drink its wings: that alluring pink color,” Cecchini explained in an interview with industry mag Chilled. The reinvented cosmo was initially mixed for the Odeon staff only, but word got out, as it does, and the pretty pink tide washed over New York City. His decision to specifically use Absolut Citron was a reflection of the times, as flavored vodkas were fresh on the scene. Cecchini liked the presentation but saw room for improvement.Ĭecchini replaced Rose’s Lime with fresh lime juice, swapped grenadine with a dash of cranberry juice, and added Cointreau to cushion the citric blow. However, Cecchini himself explains in his book, “Perhaps it’s better to say I reinvented it.” Huffsmith-Roth showed Cecchini a drink, called the cosmopolitan, that was made for her in San Francisco, which featured vodka, grenadine, and Rose’s Lime in a martini glass. Cranberry in the Big AppleĬecchini and his colleague Melissa Huffsmith-Roth are widely credited with inventing the cosmo during their time at Manhattan’s Odeon bar in the late 1980s. The modern iteration that we enjoy today developed in the 1980s - which, on aesthetics alone, makes all of the sense. This old-timey daisy features raspberry syrup and gin, making it a little closer to a Clover Club than a cosmo. The earliest known reference to a cocktail by that name is the “cosmopolitan daisy” found in a book from 1934 titled Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars 1903–1933, but the recipe is much different from the cosmo we know. HistoryĬompared to other American classic cocktails, like the Old Fashioned and sazerac, the cosmopolitan is a relatively new arrival, which makes its rise to fame all the more impressive. Here’s what we know about this tart, boozy, just-barely-fruity vodka cocktail. Whoever you may be, you ordered a drink that counts among the very few true modern classics. Or maybe you just love 1990s rom-coms (or a specific 1990s rom-com). You might dislike martinis but enjoy martini glasses. You might be expressing a fondness for simple, strong vodka cocktails. If you were to order the cosmopolitan at Cecchini’s Long Island Bar in Brooklyn, you might be expressing that you’re an individual of international sophistication and discerning taste. In his book Cosmopolitan: A Bartender’s Life, Toby Cecchini writes, "To a bartender, you are what you drink.” Exploring the colorful history of the pointy pink drink ![]()
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