December 15 – Cosmopolitan

The Cosmopolitan is said to have been invented in 1985 by Miami bartender Cheryl Cook at a South Beach bar called the Strand. Wanting to make a perfect cocktail for a Martini glass Cook used the Kamikaze as a base, changed the regular vodka to citrus-flavored vodka and added a splash of cranberry juice.

Others believe it was first invented by Toby Cecchini in 1988 when he was working at New York’s Odeon. Cecchini used Absolut Citron, the second of the range of flavored vodkas from Absolut and released in 1988, and made it a big hit in the New York bar scene. With the help of the characters in Sex and the City, where the Cosmo was almost an essential part of the plot, the Cosmopolitan turned into a modern classic.

The glass is called Margot and was designed by Felicia Ferrone in 2013.

Being Cosmopolitan

When you can’t wait for the world to become more cosmopolitan yet again this is a good start.

The Cosmopolitan is said to have been invented in 1985 by Miami bartender Cheryl Cook at a South Beach bar called the Strand. Wanting to make a perfect cocktail for a Martini glass Cook used the Kamikaze as a base, changed the regular vodka to citrus-flavored vodka and added a splash of cranberry juice.

Others believe it was first invented by Toby Cecchini in 1988 when he was working at New York’s Odeon. Cecchini used Absolut Citron, the second of the range of flavored vodkas from Absolut and released in 1988, and made it a big hit in the New York bar scene. With the help of the characters in Sex and the City, where the Cosmo was almost an essential part of the plot, the Cosmopolitan turned into a modern classic.

The glass is called Margot and was designed by Felicia Ferrone in 2013.

Cosmopolitan

2 parts lemon flavored vodka (preferably Absolut Citron)

1 part Cointreau

1 part lime juice

1 part cranberry juice

1 lemon twist

Shake ingredients with ice. Strain into cocktail glass and add a lemon twist.

Waiting for Bond

If you are waiting for the next Bond movie there is something you can do to make the wait a little bit shorter. Make yourself a Vesper. Named after the fictional double agent Vesper Lynd by James Bond himself the cocktail was featured in Casino Royale, Ian Fleming’s first book about the secret agent, published in 1953.

The instructions Bond gave to the bartender were “In a deep champagne goblet. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large slice of lemon peel.” The only problem making it today is that the bitter Kina Lillet was discontinued in 1969 so you have to substitute it either with Cocchi Americano to get the original bitterness or use Lillet Blanc and maybe add some bitters to the drink.

The glass, On the Rock, was designed by Lee Broom in 2014.

Vesper

3 parts Gordon’s gin

1 part vodka

1/2 part Lillet Blanc

1 lemon peel

Stir the ingredients with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Or if you are James Bond, shake it until ice cold and serve it in a deep champagne goblet.

December 6 – Bloody Mary

The drink Bloody Mary was probably invented by a bartender named Fernand “Pete” Petiot, who created his first version in the early 1920s at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. After Prohibition, Petiot moved to New York where he presided over the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel. While at St. Regis, he enhanced the drink with horseradish, Tabasco, lemon juice and celery salt.
The glass, Slow Fox, was designed by the Swedish designer Ingegerd Råman in 2000.