Your Next Cosmopolitan Deserves Tequila, Not Vodka

Just when you've finally tinkered with your cosmopolitans enough to tickle the perfect pink, gotten them as close to the tipple's original vintage iteration as possible, and scaled it all up to make a batch of the popular cocktail for a group, it's time for a major change. See, once you've mastered the piquant combination of citrus vodka, Cointreau, fresh lime, and cranberry juice, that very expertise has liberated you to experiment with tons of less expected adaptations. And tequila is congruous enough with the drink's original conceit while still qualifying as an offshoot. Now, typically neutral vodka is terrific in this application, its astringent punch just breaking through the more flavorful ingredients without muddling the mix. But tequila turns the cosmopolitan into a totally different libation that can skew oaky, earthy, or even a little confectionary, depending on the type of tequila kicking around your liquor cabinet. 

In spite of its technically inaccurate reputation for sweetness (blame some less successful iterations for that misapprehension), the cosmopolitan is basically a sour, originator Toby Cecchini has pointed out. It shares that category with an even more famous cocktail, the margarita. Now, a margarita also calls for the mix of lime juice, orange liqueur (like Cointreau), skipping the cran, and, of course, swapping the vodka for tequila. Being that each drink's rudimentary components share such common properties, it follows that they are compatible in recalibrated configurations, too. 

No, it's not. If you ordered a cosmopolitan at a bar and it was made with anything other than vodka, that would qualify as a mistake. Likewise, if a friend had you over for cosmos and they exchanged the typical spirit for tequila (or anything else for that matter) absent any explicitly stated intention or theme, you could rightfully think that they'd gone goofy. There isn't really even a ubiquitous moniker for the swap other than the descriptive — but otherwise uninspired — "tequila cosmo." But you're still welcome to sample the genre-blurring sip for yourself.

If you've gone out for drinks, ordering a tequila cosmo is about as complicated as asking the bartender for, you know, tequila, instead of vodka. If they give you a funny look, good: that's the first sign of trendsetting. If you're making them at home, instead, you probably know what to do by now. Follow your favorite cosmopolitan recipe, replacing the vodka with tequila. You might want to avoid sweeter, agave-forward tequilas to start, as they may compete with the sugar in your store-bought cranberry juice. Pink drink purists should also skip gold tequila and pick a silver variety instead, as the former might adulterate the blush a bit. And learning to identify a tequila's tasting notes will make building this and other cocktails even easier next time.