Apricot Cosmo Cocktail: Happy New Year!
Having spent most of December with gin cocktails, I decided to switch to vodka to toast in 2021. The Apricot Cosmo is a very nice variation on the traditional Cosmopolitan.
A Cosmopolitan is a very popular combination of vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and lime juice with a dash or two of orange bitters. With the base recipe of vodka and cranberry juice, you can get very creative with the extra fruitiness that you add.
I have come across versions that reverse the vodka and triple sec proportions to make a more orangey version of the Cosmopolitan. I have also heard of other spirits taking the place of the vodka – perhaps I really should try a Gin Cosmopolitan some time.
The Apricot Cosmo takes the original recipe and switches out the triple sec for, according to Difford’s Guide, apricot jam. It is also suggested that you should use some sugar syrup as well. Now to me that sounded like a rather sickly sweet, and therefore unpleasant, concoction.
Whilst I can understand the need for a bit of sweetness to balance the sharpness of the lime juice and the dryness of the cranberry juice, do you really need both apricot jam, which is sweet in its own right, and simple syrup? I decided to ditch the apricot jam and simple syrup and use just apricot brandy. The addition of Orange Bitters also balanced the sweetness making it absolutely delicious.
My version of the Apricot Cosmo added a delicious apricot flavour to the Cosmopolitan but wasn’t overly sweet. It was the perfect way to toast in 2021.
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APRICOT COSMO COCKTAIL RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
2 measures Vodka
1 measure Apricot Brandy
1 measure cranberry juice
½ measure lime juice
2 dashes Orange Bitters
Simple syrup to taste
METHOD
Pour ingredients into an ice filled cocktail shaker and shake it vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with either a dried apricot or slice of fresh apricot.
