The blush-toned fine sour cocktail, Cosmopolitan, comprises a mix of lemon-flavored vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry juice, and fresh lime juice. Its ascension to global fame started in 1999, when the second episode of "Sex and the City's" second season aired on HBO. The show's characters would frequently order the Cosmopolitan, solidifying its place in popular culture. "Sex and the City," which ran from 1998 to 2004, is widely recognized for its role in boosting the cocktail's prominence.

The origins of the Cosmo, as it's affectionately known, are disputed. Some believe the recipe began circulating in the mid-80s. Cheryl Cook, whilst tending bar at The Strand Restaurant situated in Miami’s trendy South Beach, is credited for creating a new interpretation of the then-popular Kamikaze cocktail. She simply fused vodka, triple sec, citrus, and "a touch of cranberry juice for that pretty-in-pink aesthetic," and named it after Cosmopolitan magazine.

As the millennium turned, the 'Tini craze was all the rage, with flavored vodkas and dramatic, V-shaped Martini glasses symbolizing high society and sophistication. Naturally, several renditions of the contemporary cocktails started to emerge nationwide.

In 1988, at The Odeon bar located in New York City, bartender Toby Cecchini reimagined a cocktail that had been a beloved staple in San Francisco's gay bars for quite some time. The original drink featured vodka, Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial, and grenadine. Cecchini’s twist was to replace the generic vodka with Citron vodka, an innovative concoction from Absolut, supplementing a dash of cranberry for color, triple sec for sweetness, and freshly squeezed lime juice, thereby crafting the version of the Cosmo we're so thrilled with today.

Meanwhile, in New York, renowned bartender Dale DeGroff of the classy Midtown’s Rainbow Room was fine-tuning his own interpretation of the Cosmo. He added a little flair with a flamed orange peel garnish, firmly cementing the Cosmo’s stature in the contemporary cocktail industry.

Similar to the ubiquitous Margarita and Gimlet, the Cosmo relies heavily on the classic sour ingredient scheme, expertly balancing two parts base spirit, with one part sweet, and one part sour.

Citron vodka imparts a lively and stacked base that harmonizes with the tart fruit flavors of the cocktail. It gets its sweetness from Cointreau, a triple sec created in France, often characterized by its distinctive bitter orange peel taste and a hint of spice. A liberal splash of lime juice is paired with the liqueur.

This variation specifies only half an ounce of cranberry juice - less than some other versions – to achieve the Cosmopolitan’s quintessential tender pink shade.

Cosmopolitan Recipe: 1 1/2 ounces of citron vodka 3/4 ounce of Cointreau 3/4 ounce of lime juice, freshly squeezed 1/2 ounce of cranberry juice Lime wedge, for garnish

Combine vodka, Cointreau, lime juice, and cranberry juice into an ice-filled shaker and shake until the concoction chills. Strain the cocktail into a chilled cocktail coupe and garnish with a lime slice.