Attention Sex and the City fans: today is Mr. Big’s birthday. Chris Noth who played Mr. Big was born November 13, 1954, which means next year he hits the big 6-0 (seriously, how could he be that old?). As a toast to Mr. Big and the show that we still watch in re-runs every day, we’re paying tribute to the cocktail that defined Sex and the City… the Cosmopolitan.
The Cosmopolitan is a bit of a mythical creature because no one really knows where it came from. There are various theories out there as to who invented the cocktail and when, but none can be 100 percent proven. The most commonly mentioned creator is a woman named Cheryl Cook, a bartender from South Beach Florida. She is often credited with creating the drink in 1985, but again, there’s no real proof to back that up.
The drink started to become popular in major cities throughout the 1990s, but it rose to an entirely new level when Carrie Bradshaw and her gal pals started ordering them on Sex and the City. Suddenly, women around the country couldn’t get enough of the chic “Cosmo” and its pretty pink color. The Sex and the City 2 movie even took a bit of a dig at this trend; as the ladies sipped Cosmopolitans, Miranda asked “Why did we ever stop drinking these?” To which Carrie answered, “Because everyone else started.”
There are small twists made on the Cosmopolitan, but this is the standard recipe from the International Bartenders Association:
- 40 ml Vodka Citron
- 15 ml Cointreau
- 15 ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 30 ml Cranberry Juice
Add all ingredients into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake well and double strain into a large cocktail glass. Garnish with lime wheel.
How do you like to drink your Cosmopolitan? Do you use Rose’s lime cordial instead of fresh lime juice? Triple Sec instead of Cointreau? Do you stir instead of shake? Share your favorite recipe with us. Cheers to the man, the myth, the legend: Mr. Big.