The Cosmopolitan Shot is a fruity, sour vodka shot recipe. The pink icon in shot form — citrus vodka, triple sec, cranberry and lime, crisp and tart. For more like it, browse our Vodka shots, and always drink responsibly — Shot Chef is for adults 21+.
Cosmopolitan Shot
About the Cosmopolitan Shot
The Cosmo was a working New York bartender’s drink long before Sex and the City put it on every suburban happy hour menu — Toby Cecchini, bartending at The Odeon in 1988, has the most-cited claim to the modern recipe. The show’s six-year run turned it into a cultural shorthand for a certain kind of 1990s and 2000s urban femininity, which both built and nearly destroyed it on cocktail menus. It’s a better drink than its reputation suggests.
Four ingredients, perfectly balanced: citrus vodka, triple sec (Cointreau specifically, if the budget allows), cranberry juice, fresh lime. Shake hard enough to get a frothy top. Serve very cold. Fresh lime is non-negotiable; bottled lime drags the whole thing into chain-restaurant territory. A long flamed orange peel over the surface is the traditional garnish and worth the thirty seconds. Perfect bachelorette pour. See the sour shots list.
Substitutions
- Plain vodka plus extra lime.
- Cointreau for the triple sec.
Batch version
For 12, batch everything and shake in rounds.
FAQ
Is it very tart?
Balanced — the triple sec and cranberry round out the lime.
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At a glance
- Base liquor
- Vodka
- Flavor
- Fruity · Sour
- Strength
- Medium
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Prep time
- 3 min
- Method
- Shake
- Glassware
- 2 oz shot glass
- Best for
- Bachelorette, Wedding
- Est. cost/shot
- $2.20
Drink responsibly. For adults 21+. Never drink and drive.