Cosmopolitan - The Quintessential Modern Classic - The Cocktail Spirit
- 8 years ago
There are many cocktails which can be considered as “classics”: Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Martini, Sidecar, Daiquiri, Margarita, Bloody Mary, Mai Tai, Mojito, Negroni, and various others. Becoming a classic isn’t something you vote on or otherwise simply put forth at a moment’s notice, instead it is an organic process that occurs almost invisibly. In modern times, there have been countless cocktails that have come and gone, but perhaps the only drink that has survived its “trendy” period to continue to be a drink that is commonly ordered, is the Cosmopolitan.
Originally, the Cosmopolitan was a highly approachable yet still mediocre drink. While it followed the classic “Sour” template (Spirit, Sour, Sweet), it did so using Rose’s lime juice as a souring agent (which also includes a fair amount of sugar) and a generic triple sec as a sweetener. It wasn’t until several years after Cheryl Cook originally created the drink that Dale DeGroff and Toby Cecchini would independently realize the drinks potential and properly update it to use fresh lime juice, and Cointreau. This finally turned it into a drink which was worth taking notice of. It was in this way that the Cosmopolitan entered the annals of “classic cocktails”.
We are currently in the midst of a cocktail revival, and as such there are countless new cocktails coming out every day from bartenders all over the world. Shouldn’t by now some of these new drinks have attained the status of “modern classic”? In the upcoming series of episodes, we will be looking at several drinks which may just have a chance of being considered a classic. This set of drinks are ones which I’ve selected by looking over other lists, asking around, and researching which “new” drinks are showing up on cocktail menus around the world. All of these drinks are great, but a modern classic? Only time will tell.
For a cocktail to be a “modern classic”, I think it needs to possess four distinct characteristics.
1. It needs to be delicious
2. It needs to be a recipe that most bartenders know how to make
3. It needs to be a drink that customers know to order
4. It needs to be made from ingredients that most bar have on hand
The bookend characteristics are simple qualities of the drink itself, the characteristics in the center are ones which gradually come about over time and exposure.
For many modern cocktails, it is the final characteristic that I listed which they stumble on. In the various “craft” cocktail bars, bartenders will have access to unusual ingredients, or hand-made products which they will use to make their unique concoctions. Sometimes these ingredients may take days to prepare properly, or are perishable and would be a waste if not used. While the result is usually a very delicious drink, it also is one that is virtually impossible for other bars to make. Some of the drinks which I will be presenting in this set may use ingredients that most bars won’t have on hand. While this might seem to instantly disqualify it, it is important to note that “common” ingredients can evolve over time, and if a particular drink is delicious enough, bars will begin to stock what they need to make it.
By presenting you with these drinks, I hopefully encourage you to give them a try and see if you agree that they are delicious drinks which you’d want to be able to easily order at most bars. Who knows, the next “Cosmopolitan” might just be one of these!
Watch this episode on Small Screen:
Recipe:
Instructions:
Originally, the Cosmopolitan was a highly approachable yet still mediocre drink. While it followed the classic “Sour” template (Spirit, Sour, Sweet), it did so using Rose’s lime juice as a souring agent (which also includes a fair amount of sugar) and a generic triple sec as a sweetener. It wasn’t until several years after Cheryl Cook originally created the drink that Dale DeGroff and Toby Cecchini would independently realize the drinks potential and properly update it to use fresh lime juice, and Cointreau. This finally turned it into a drink which was worth taking notice of. It was in this way that the Cosmopolitan entered the annals of “classic cocktails”.
We are currently in the midst of a cocktail revival, and as such there are countless new cocktails coming out every day from bartenders all over the world. Shouldn’t by now some of these new drinks have attained the status of “modern classic”? In the upcoming series of episodes, we will be looking at several drinks which may just have a chance of being considered a classic. This set of drinks are ones which I’ve selected by looking over other lists, asking around, and researching which “new” drinks are showing up on cocktail menus around the world. All of these drinks are great, but a modern classic? Only time will tell.
For a cocktail to be a “modern classic”, I think it needs to possess four distinct characteristics.
1. It needs to be delicious
2. It needs to be a recipe that most bartenders know how to make
3. It needs to be a drink that customers know to order
4. It needs to be made from ingredients that most bar have on hand
The bookend characteristics are simple qualities of the drink itself, the characteristics in the center are ones which gradually come about over time and exposure.
For many modern cocktails, it is the final characteristic that I listed which they stumble on. In the various “craft” cocktail bars, bartenders will have access to unusual ingredients, or hand-made products which they will use to make their unique concoctions. Sometimes these ingredients may take days to prepare properly, or are perishable and would be a waste if not used. While the result is usually a very delicious drink, it also is one that is virtually impossible for other bars to make. Some of the drinks which I will be presenting in this set may use ingredients that most bars won’t have on hand. While this might seem to instantly disqualify it, it is important to note that “common” ingredients can evolve over time, and if a particular drink is delicious enough, bars will begin to stock what they need to make it.
By presenting you with these drinks, I hopefully encourage you to give them a try and see if you agree that they are delicious drinks which you’d want to be able to easily order at most bars. Who knows, the next “Cosmopolitan” might just be one of these!
Watch this episode on Small Screen:
Recipe:
Instructions: