Spiced Rum Cosmopolitan "Cosmo"

Here is how to make the rum cocktail:

Cocktail ingredients for a single serving
- 50ml Swan Knight Distillery golden spiced rum
- 25ml Triple Sec
- 100ml cranberry juice or to the top
- Juice from 1/4 lime
- Crushed ice

Recipe
- Mix the above ingredients together
- Pour into a hiball glass filled with crushed ice
- Add a straw

How and when to drink this spiced rum cocktail

A ruby red cocktail that is ideal for sipping outside, listening to the birds and chatting with family and friends. The cranberry juice provides the refreshing finish while the rum, lime and Tripe Sec provide the depth to this drink. Be careful not to add too much freshly squeezed lime juice, as it can overpower the balance of the cocktail. If the cocktail is too bitter then add just a touch of simple syrup or grenadine to taste. The lime wheel is a great garnish to finish off the look of the cocktail.

Inspiration for the cocktail

The most likely origin for the Cosmo is a cocktail called the Cosmopolitan Daisy, that appeared in the 1930s in the United States. However, there are many other suggestions as to exactly where the cocktail originated, with theories that range from San Francisco to Massachusetts to New York. Whatever its origin, the cocktail steadily gained popularity through the 1990s and really took off when Madonna seen drinking one in 1996. It even featured in Sex and the City when Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) would often order it when out with her girlfriends.

Although the ingredients have changed over the years, mostly due to what was available at the time, the concept has remained unchanged. Often, it is served in a martini glass with the amount of cranberry juice reduced to compensate. Original recipes would use vodka (sometimes citrus flavoured), Cointreau rather than Triple Sec and sometimes raspberry syrup or juice.

There are a number of variations to the International Bartenders Association (IBA) approved recipe, which uses citrus flavoured vodka as its base. One variant replaces the Triple Sec with French Martini and can add Chambord for a deeper colour and a little more sweetness. Occasionally, the cranberry juice can be replaced by other juices such as prune or orange juice. For an alcohol free version, replace the rum and Triple Sec with orange juice and pink lemonade.

At its heart, this cocktail is about the mix between rum and citrus. The orange flavour from the Triple Sec and the lime juice bring out the spices in the rum and the cranberry juice provides a long refreshing finish.