The Spiced Cosmopolitan: Winter Sipper Cocktail Series
This simple riff on the classic Cosmopolitan is easily one of my favourite cocktails. It’s bright, and citrusy, just like the classic you’ve come to love, but with the assistance of winter spices to really punch up the flavour profile. The perfect cocktail to keep you warm on a cold night.
Now, I know Carrie Bradshaw and the girls made this drink famous - but fella’s, I promise you’ll dig this just as much as she does. It definitely packs a punch, which is more than I can say about your favourite silver bullet.
It’s also a great cocktail to batch and gift, or to bring to your next dinner party. But in the event that you’re just lazy and love it enough to want a whole bottle - you can keep it in your freezer and have a ready-to-pour cocktail on hand while you crush 2 or 12 episodes of Succession - and if that’s the case, you certainly won’t find any judgement here.
Step 1: Make The Cordial
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 cup simple syrup (1:1 ratio of sugar and water - heat until sugar is dissolved)
1 cup cranberry Juice
Zest of one orange
Spices
4 cinnamon sticks
6 allspice berries
6 cloves
3 star anise pods
In a saucepan over low heat combine the simple syrup, cranberry juice, orange zest, and all of the above-mentioned spices.
Bring to a low simmer. Remove from heat, and pour the entire mixture into a sealable container. Refrigerate overnight to let all the spices and flavours infuse.
After 12-24 hours of infusing, strain off the spices and orange zest.
Bottle and keep refrigerated. This will last for 1-2 months in the fridge and make around 16 cocktails.
Step 2 - Make The Drink
Here’s what you’ll need to make one cocktail:
1.5 oz (45ml) Vodka - I love Ketel One!
½ oz (15ml) Cointreau
1 oz Spiced Cranberry Cordial
⅔ oz (20ml) Lime Juice
Add all Ingredients to a cocktail shaker - if you don’t have one we recommend this one, or this one if you’re fancy ;)
Add ice, and shake for 10-15 seconds.
Double strain into a martini or coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wedge or wheel.
Enjoy!
Step 3 - Impress your friends, your partner or your parents
Here’s the bottling recipe that’ll save you a ton of time, and earn you plenty of brownie points for ease of convenience.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 bottle that will hold 750ml - we recommend cleaning the bottle and removing the label.
A funnel
A measuring cup, we love this one
Vodka - again, we love Ketel One.
Cointreau
Lime Juice
Spiced Cranberry Cordial
In a bottle combine the following:
255ml Vodka
85ml Cointreau
170ml Cranberry Cordial
115ml Lime Juice
125ml Water*
*Water? Why am I telling you to add water to this? Well, dilution is a major component for a balanced cocktail, and by adding water now we don’t need to shake to dilution when we’re ready for a drink. We can simply store it in the fridge and serve it right from the bottle. Brilliant!
You can add a fancy label to this bottle, write a personal note to attach to it, or simply leave the bottle blank. If you’d like me to send you the label from the photoshoot me an email at: coupeandco@gmail.com
That's it. Enjoy!
Bonus Recipe:
If you got this far, you deserve another drink.
Spiced Cranberry Hot Toddy:
In a ceramic mug add the following ingredients:
2oz (60ml) Whiskey or Rum
1 oz (30ml) lemon juice
⅔ oz (20ml) Spiced Cranberry Cordial
3 oz (60ml) Hot water
Gently Stir, add a cinnamon stick, and lemon zest for garnish and enjoy!