Cosmopolitan Mocktail

Before you start

The Cosmopolitan is vodka, orange liqueur, lime and a splash of cranberry, shaken and served in a cocktail glass. It is tarter and less sweet than its pink color suggests. The mocktail keeps that balance: unsweetened cranberry juice for tartness, cranberry cocktail for color and some sweetness, fresh lime, and orange juice plus a few drops of orange flower water or a strip of zest to echo the liqueur.

Shake it hard so it turns cold and slightly frothy, then double-strain it into a chilled coupe or martini glass. The flamed or expressed orange peel at the end is what makes it smell like a cocktail bar.

Ingredients

• 45 ml (1½ oz) cranberry juice cocktail
• 15 ml (½ oz) unsweetened cranberry juice
• 20 ml (¾ oz) fresh lime juice
• 15 ml (½ oz) fresh orange juice
• 10 ml (2 tsp) simple syrup (1:1) — adjust to taste
• 1 strip orange zest — to shake with the drink
• 1 wide strip orange peel — for garnish

Method

1. Chill the coupe in the freezer for 10 minutes.
2. Add both cranberry juices, the lime juice, orange juice, simple syrup and the strip of orange zest to the shaker.
3. Fill with ice and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds. Shaking with the zest releases its oils into the drink, standing in for orange liqueur.
4. Double-strain into the chilled glass. It should be a clear pale pink with a thin layer of foam.
5. Hold the garnish peel skin-side down over the glass and squeeze it to spray the oils over the surface. Rub it around the rim and drop it in.

Tips for success

• Taste your cranberry juice cocktail. Brands vary in sweetness; if yours is very sweet, skip the simple syrup.
• For a dramatic flamed peel, warm the peel briefly, then squeeze it through a lit match held above the glass. Keep it away from hair and clothing.
• A coupe is easier to carry without spills than a classic V-shaped martini glass.

Substitutions

Cranberry juice cocktail

Use 30 ml unsweetened cranberry juice and 15 ml more simple syrup. The color is deeper and the drink sharper.

Orange zest and juice

A non-alcoholic orange liqueur alternative works well. Use 15 ml and skip the orange juice.

Simple syrup

Agave syrup works the same way. Use slightly less, since it is sweeter.

Variations

White cosmo mocktail

Use white cranberry juice for a pale, elegant drink and garnish with frozen cranberries.

Sparkling cosmo

Strain into a flute and top with 60 ml soda water or dry non-alcoholic sparkling wine.

Troubleshooting

It tastes like cranberry juice

There is not enough lime or orange. Add 5 ml lime and make sure you shook with the orange zest.

It is too sour

Add 5 ml simple syrup. Unsweetened cranberry juice is very tart, so measure it carefully.

Bits of ice and zest in the glass

Double-strain through a fine strainer to catch shards and zest.

Storage

Serve immediately. Opened cranberry juice keeps in the refrigerator for about a week. Squeeze citrus juice the day you use it.