This Cosmopolitan Cocktail is the perfect martini recipe for a girl’s night, book club, or just a quiet night at home. Made with just four simple ingredients, you will fall in love!

Photo of Cosmopolitan Cocktail with another cosmo and cocktail shaker behind. Lime wedges beside.

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My dear friend, Dorothy, and I have spent many an evening in a cocktail lounge of hotels and a great Cosmo is always her drink of choice. You see, Dorothy and I travel together so often for work. Long ago she went from a colleague to a true friend that I can spill my guts to. And I love catching up with her in those down moments between different events on work trips.

If you have a wonderful Dorothy in your life, make her this great Cosmo Cocktail for one of you next girls’ nights. It is made with simple to find ingredients, and while you might only order when you and she are in cocktail lounges, it couldn’t be more simple to make right in your own home.

Reader Review

Love it. Can’t comment any longer, I’m too busy sipping it. Cheers 🥂

Cosmopolitan Drink Ingredients

The best cosmopolitan recipe only has four ingredients, so you want them to be good! For all the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Vodka: Using good-quality vodka is very important in this recipe, since it is the base of the recipe. Fortunately, there is a great vodka at every price point. Read my recommendations below.
Orange liqueur: Cointreau or Grand Marnier are good quality orange liqueurs. In a pinch or on a budget, triple sec will work. Keep in mind that the alcohol content of Cointreau and Grand Marnier are about double that of triple sec.
Fresh lime juice: Using juice from fresh limes is always best for cocktails. I will admit that when I’m out, I reach for the bottled lime juice, and if you can’t make it to the store that will also work here.
Cranberry cocktail: We want to the other ingredients to shine through so we are using just a splash of cranberry juice. Traditionally, 100% unsweetened cranberry juice is very tart. So instead, I recommend using a cranberry cocktail for this recipe which is a blend of cranberry juice with other fruit juices, making a sweeter and less-tart juice. Ocean Spray makes my favorite cranberry juice cocktail.

Side view of person's hand pouring cocktail shaker of Cosmopolitan Cocktail recipe into martini glasses. Lime slices beside.

Tips and Tricks

Pick a good vodka. There are great vodkas at every price point and since it is the backbone of this cocktail you want something great. At the low end I like Costco’s Kirkland brand or Titos. At the higher end I recommend Grey Goose or Belvedere.
Chill your martini glasses. Before making a cosmo, fill your martini glasses (I’m linking a brand I truly love) with ice and water and put them in the refrigerator. I like to leave them for at least 15 minutes, but a few hours is better. This will keep your martini colder longer.
Pick a great garnish. If you are serving this to guests and want to make it look fancy, add a lemon twist or a lime wedge.

Side view of Cosmopolitan Cocktail with another cosmo and shaker bottle on tray behind. Lime wedges beside.

If you try this cosmopolitan cocktail recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think! I love hearing from you!

5 from 7 votes