Cointreau Cosmo

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This Cointreau Cosmo is the best cosmopolitan cocktail recipe made with Cointreau. It’s a classic cocktail that’s easy to make with only 4 ingredients.

This cosmo recipe with Cointreau is an elevated classic cosmopolitan (which is normally made with Triple Sec). 

If you love cosmos and want to try a flavor variation, you will enjoy this Peach Cosmo, which is great for summer. 

For some other vodka-based fruity & citrus cocktails, try this Raspberry Martini or this Blueberry Lemon Drop Martini.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• Why Use Cointreau In A Cosmo?
• How To Make A Cointreau Cosmo
• Expert Tips
• Recipe FAQs
• 📖 Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Classic — Cosmopolitans are a classic cocktail recipe and are a staple drink for a beginner bartender. 
• Simple — There are no fancy ingredients or steps in this recipe. All you need are 4 easy to find ingredients and a standard cocktail shaker. 
• Crowd-Pleaser — Cosmos are generally a crowd pleasing cocktail! It’s hard not to enjoy this citrus cocktail.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Cointreau: Cointreau is a higher end orange liqueur that is the staple ingredient in this cosmo recipe. You can substitute it with Triple Sec (although then it wouldn’t be a Cointreau Cosmo). 
• Vodka: Use a mid-shelf vodka for this recipe. Cosmos are spirit forward drinks, so you will taste the vodka in this recipe. Most importantly, choose a vodka that you enjoy the taste of. 
• Cranberry Juice: You can use sweetened or unsweetened cranberry juice. However, if you are using unsweetened cranberry juice, you may want to add in a dash of simple syrup. You can also try a cranberry juice blend, such as a cranberry-raspberry juice. 
• Lime Juice: Always use freshly squeezed lime juice for a cosmo. Bottled lime juice gives the drink an artificial flavor.

Why Use Cointreau In A Cosmo?

When it comes to making Cosmopolitan cocktails, you can use Triple Sec or Cointreau, both of which are orange liqueurs. 

Cointreau is considered “higher-end” in comparison to Triple Sec and will produce a higher quality cocktail. 

However, it can also be a personal preference as to whether you enjoy the taste of Cointreau over Triple Sec. And some people may not even be able to tell the difference. 

This recipe assumes you enjoy the taste of Cointreau and are planning to use it over Triple Sec. This recipe adds in a tad extra Cointreau compared to a regular cosmo to bring out the hint of orange flavor.

How To Make A Cointreau Cosmo

Step 1: Add the vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice and lime juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. 

Step 2: Shake well and strain.

Expert Tips

• Chill the martini glasses. A Cosmo is best served extra cold and chilling the glasses in advance can help keep the drink cold while you are sipping on it. Chill the glasses in the fridge or freezer for at least an hour before serving the cocktail. 
• Make it stronger. This Cosmopolitan is not as strong as some versions of the drink. If you want a stronger drink, you can add in up to 2 ounces of vodka (total). 
• Add some garnish. The classic garnish for a cosmopolitan cocktail is an orange peel twist. Use a peeler to peel a thin slice of an orange peel and wrap it around a chopstick to form the twist. A slice of lime as a garnish also works well too.
• Shake well. Shaking cocktails well makes a huge difference in the quality of the drink. Make sure to shake the drink for at least a full 20 seconds. The outside of the cocktail shaker should be frosted.

Recipe FAQs

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📖 Recipe