5 parts lemon flavoured vodka
1 ½ parts triple sec
1 ½ parts lime juice
3 parts cranberry juice

The Cosmopolitan, often just simply referred to as a Cosmo, is made from lemon vodka, triple sec, and both lime and cranberry juice. Fresh squeezed lime juice is preferred over the bottled and sweetened variety.

Traditionally, this cocktail is served straight up in a large cocktail glass with no ice and a lemon wheel or lime wedge as the garnish. This type of glass is often called a martini glass and so the drink is sometimes confused and thought to be a type of martini.

It is mixed in a cocktail shaker then double strained and should pour as a frothy and rather bright looking pink colour if done correctly.

The exact origins of this tasty concoction are often disputed, but it is generally accepted that credit goes to John Caine. It is believed that he brought the drink to San Francisco in 1987 from somewhere in the Midwest.

That very same year, in Manhattan, the recipe that is now internationally recognized as standard was developed by Toby Cecchini in an attempt to follow a bad description of Cheryl Cook's drink.

Thanks to the hit television series “Sex and the City” the Cosmopolitan gained noted popularity in the 1990's due to the frequent mention of the drink.

In addition, Demeter Fragrance Library went as far as creating a fragrance that mimics the scent of the Cosmo distinctly which has found a lot of popularity itself.