Recipe: Non-Alcoholic Cosmopolitan with cranberry and lime
The Cosmopolitan is probably the most photographed cocktail in recent history, made iconic by its intense pink color and the martini glass that accompanies it. Its structure, apparently simple, hides a delicate balance between acidity, sweetness and the citrus note that must remain the protagonist. The non-alcoholic version works exactly on this balance, using cranberry juice instead of Cointreau and vodka to obtain the same color and complexity in the mouth, without alcohol content.
Ingredients (1 cocktail glass)
- 90 ml of unsweetened cranberry juice
- 30 ml fresh lime juice
- 15ml simple sugar syrup
- 15 ml of fresh orange juice
- Plenty of ice for the shaker
- A lime or orange zest for garnish
Procedure
Fill a shaker three-quarters full with ice. Pour in the cranberry juice, lime juice, sugar syrup and orange juice. Close and shake vigorously for at least 15 seconds: it is the vigorous movement that creates the light surface foam typical of the Cosmopolitan served in bars. Filter through a sieve directly into a very cold martini glass, without ice. Garnish by twisting a lime or orange peel over the glass to release the essential oils, then place it on the rim.
Because it works
The key to this mocktail is the balance between the cranberry juice, naturally acidic and slightly bitter, and the controlled sweetness of the syrup: too much syrup flattens the taste, too little makes it unpleasantly acidic. The touch of orange juice adds a roundness that in the original recipe comes from Cointreau, maintaining that complex citrus note that makes the Cosmopolitan recognizable at the first sip.
A bartender's tip
Always chill the martini glass in the freezer for a few minutes before serving: a lukewarm Cosmopolitan loses much of its charm. If you don't have a shaker, you can get a good result by vigorously mixing the ingredients with ice in an airtight jar.
