White Cosmopolitan

The Cosmopolitan was the It Girl of 1990s and early 2000s bar menus. It was made famous by the hit show Sex in The City, where it quickly became the signature cocktail of the show. A traditional Cosmopolitan calls for a few simple ingredients: vodka, cranberry juice, and orange liqueur. It's citrus-forward, tart, and just a touch sweet. While the show is, in my opinion, timeless, the Cosmopolitan craze slowed as the Sex in The City wrapped in 2004. Last year, though, marked a long overdue revival of the show, and the cocktail. In 2022 when HBO launched And Just Like That, cocktail bars around the country started paying more attention to the Cosmopolitan. 

At Casa Sensei in Fort Lauderdale, head bartender Svetlana Altarrasy created a cocktail fit for the ethos behind the show’s reboot: The White Cosmo pays homage to the cocktail’s original inspiration but innovates beyond the classic with new ingredients and a new look. Featuring white cranberry juice, freshly squeezed lemon juice, elderflower liqueur, and of course, vodka, the white cosmo is a delicious combination of tart, sweet, and floral notes. Like its inspiration, this drink is served in an elegant Martini glass that plays to the original 1990s aesthetics. The White Cosmo gets garnished with a minimalist lemon peel and it’s ready to enjoy. The best part about this cocktail? It won’t stain your outfit if you spill it.  — Lucy Simon

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between white cranberry juice and red cranberry juice?

Unlike wine where white wine can be made from red grapes (looking at you, Blanc de Noir), white cranberry juice is made from an entirely different species of fruit than traditional red cranberry juice. White cranberries have a milky hued exterior and yield less tart juice. White cranberry juice is balanced with a gorgeous aroma that is almost reminiscent of white flowers. Since it is comparatively less tart, it mixes well in a range of ingredients in cocktails.

What is elderflower liqueur?

Elderflowers are made of small white buds that come together in a large, fluffy flower. It is used in a variety of applications from medicine to fragrance, but the most delicious way to consume elderflower is in liqueur. The flowers have a sweet white floral fragrance that, when mixed with a bit of sugar and alcohol, makes for an excellent cocktail ingredient that adds sweetness and a silky mouthfeel to drinks.