DOTD For Thursday, May 7, 2026
This Iconic 'Big Apple' Drink Really Started It's Modern Run In The Minne-Apple
Today’s DOTD - Drink Of The Day - is a Cosmopolitan cocktail, inspired by National Cosmopolitan Day - which is presumably, Carrie Bradshaw’s favorite holiday.
The Cosmopolitan Chronicles: Unraveling the Story Behind the Iconic Cocktail
The Cosmopolitan cocktail, also known as “The Cosmo” is a core drink in modern cocktail culture. Known for its blush-pink color, slight tartness, and refreshing taste, this cocktail is often associated with cosmopolitan cities, glamorous parties, and sophisticated individuals.
Like most cocktails, this one comes with a backstory - though, since it’s a drink named after an adjective to describe a sophisticated urban feeling, you can expect this one to have multiple characters, several layers, and a bit of drama.
Older Than You Think
The Cosmopolitan is one of those cocktails that has had various incarnations through the ages - some of them, quite probably, independent of one another. It became the go-to cocktail drink of celebrities during the late 1980s & early 1990s from New York City to London, and from San Francisco to the Twin Cities. But its origins have been hotly debated for years.
A recipe for a “Cosmopolitan cocktail” first appears in Harry McElhone’s 1927 cocktail recipe book Barflies and Cocktails, in the chapter “Cocktails Round Town" written by Arthur Moss. That version included Italian vermouth, French vermouth, Swedish punch, Scotch whisky, Irish whisky, & Russian vodka - a virtual League of Nations in a glass.
A few years later, in 1934, Charles Christopher Mueller’s cocktail book Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 featured five very different cocktails named “Cosmopolitan” including one that was very similar to today's Cosmopolitan, only with lemon in place of lime, gin in place of vodka and raspberry syrup in place of cranberry.
It would be almost 50 years though before the Cosmopolitan really became more than a rare cocktail in a couple of old bar books.
The Modern Cosmopolitan Creators
The Cosmopolitan we think about today - and that we have in our recipe below - came from several people, some of whom did not know each other.
In fact, bartender and author Cheryl Charming (AKA Miss Charming), who’s deeply researched the origins of the Cosmopolitan, wrote in her 2018 book The Cocktail Companion, that “two bartenders, at two different times (fourteen years apart), in two different cities (1800 miles apart) created a cocktail with almost identical ingredients and both named their creation - Cosmopolitan.” These bartenders are Neal Murray and Cheryl Cook.
Cheryl’s story is it’s own adventure, while Neal’s story has a complex thread.
In 1989, Cheryl Cook, then known as “The Martini Queen of South Beach,” was a head bartender at The Strand on Miami Beach. Cheryl has a well-supported claim that she invented the Cosmopolitan. Always on the lookout to create the next drink craze, she decided to put a twist on the classic Martini. So Cook crafted a cocktail resembling the Kamikaze, using the then-new Absolut Citron vodka, a splash of triple sec, a dash of Rose’s lime, and a splash of cranberry juice. Cheryl, helped by The Strand’s owner, Gary Farmer, named her new cocktail after a March 1989 copy of Cosmopolitan Magazine, which featured an article on The Strand, and a had a pink cover that matched the color of her drink.
Neal Murray, a young black man, first claimed to have created the famous Cosmopolitan cocktail in 1975. Murray (then aged 24) took his first bartending position at the Cork 'n Cleaver Steakhouse in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. After learning the key cocktail recipes of the day, he soon noticed a change in cocktail trends from gin to vodka – primarily as the base spirits in the Gimlet and Kamikaze shooter. So, in the fall of 1975, he decided to experiment by combining a Cape Cod with a Kamikaze, adding some triple sec from the Kamikaze to the Cape Cod’s vodka, cranberry, and lime. When he made the pink drink, a regular asked the name and Murray replied, [to quote Miss Charming’s The Cocktail Companion] “I just thought it needed a little color,” making a joke about how he was the only Black man working at the steakhouse. The regular said, “How cosmopolitan!” and the Cosmopolitan was born.
In 1979, Murray moved to study psychology at San Francisco State University and, in 1981, after working at a couple of other establishments, started as a waiter at the Elite Café on Fillmore Street. Murray taught the bartender there, Michael Brennan, how to make his Cosmopolitan cocktail and started recommending it to customers, and the drink became a hit.
But that’s not the end of this thread.
Patrick "Paddy" Mitten also worked as a bartender in San Francisco in the mid 1980s. According to Miss Charming, Mitten worked at the Patio Café in San Francisco in 1985, where he first learned of the Cosmopolitan cocktail. To quote Miss Charming’s book, “Mitten remembers his manager, Alan Mary Kay, walking in one day saying, ‘I just tried a new cocktail, and it’s pink! It’s called a Cosmopolitan. It’s a Kamikaze with cranberry, but served as a Martini.’”
Mitten learned how to make Cosmopolitans then, and in 1987, he moved to New York City, where he continued tending bar, Reportedly, he taught other bartenders in NYC how to make the pink Martini from San Francisco called a Cosmopolitan. Mitten claims to have served a Cosmo to Madonna, and even says he served one to Sarah Jessica Parker when they were filming the pilot of Sex and the City, where her character Carrie Bradshaw became iconically connected to the Cosmopolitan.
Mitten also taught one specific New York City bartender how to make Cosmos, his friend Melissa Huffsmith.
The Cosmopolitan Upgraders
By 1987, the Cosmo was a good drink. To become iconic thought, it needed to be a bit better. Two New York City bartenders claim to be the first to have upgraded the Cosmopolitan recipe by using quality ingredients - and you’ve already met one of them.
In 1988, Melissa Huffsmith, now Melissa Huffsmith-Roth, worked with Toby Cecchini, a bar owner in New York, and introduced him to the Cosmopolitan she’d learned from her friend Mitten. After tasting it and not liking it, Toby decided to put his spin on it, keeping most of the same ingredients but adding a twist of what they were using at the time to make Margaritas—fresh lime juice and Cointreau. It started as a drink for the staff, but patrons took notice. Then, the drink became a hit among celebrities and the rest is history.
Classic vs. Modern Cosmopolitan: What’s the Difference?
There are notable differences between the classic and modern-day versions of the Cosmopolitan cocktail.
In its classic form, the Cosmopolitan consisted of rail vodka, Rose’s lime juice, and Rose’s grenadine, served in a Martini glass.
However, the modern-day Cosmopolitan has undergone some changes. The most significant change is using fresh lime juice instead of bottled lime juice. It gives the modern Cosmopolitan a brighter and more vibrant flavor.
Another difference is the substitution of Cointreau for grenadine, which adds a hint of orange flavor and enhances the overall taste profile. Additionally, the modern Cosmopolitan often includes cranberry juice as a key ingredient, giving the cocktail its iconic blush-pink color.
Creating the Perfect Drink For National Cosmopolitan Day
As we’ve explored the evolution of the Cosmopolitan, it’s clear this iconic cocktail isn’t just a drink but a cultural phenomenon. For those looking to recreate the magic of the Cosmo at home or at their party, we highly recommend sticking to the recipe below - though as the history above shows, there are many ways to make a Cosmopolitan.
For us, we’re going to celebrate National Cosmopolitan Day by making it our Drink Of The Day.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’re going to need for this drink:
