There was a time when ordering a sophisticated cocktail meant choosing something dry, bitter, brown or very serious.
Colorful drinks were pushed aside. Fruit became suspicious. Anything served with foam, flowers or crushed ice apparently required an apology.
Thankfully, pleasure is back on the menu.
The Cosmopolitan, Espresso Martini and other nostalgic favorites are returning with better spirits, fresher ingredients and a little more balance. They still bring the color, flavor and fun that made people love them in the first place. They simply do it with more intention.
Here are five cocktails worth welcoming back, including two made with Origen Vodka, two with Harmony Gin and one nonalcoholic classic that finally grew up.
1. The Cosmopolitan Gets a Courtside Comeback
The Cosmopolitan has been loved, dismissed and rediscovered more than almost any modern cocktail. Its exact origin is debated, but the version we recognize today emerged during the 1980s. By the end of the 1990s, it had become a cultural phenomenon.
As colorful, fruit-forward cocktails began returning to menus, we created the Courtside Cosmo with Origen Vodka for our partnership with the Golden State Valkyries. Now served during Valkyries games at the Chase Center, it gives the familiar cocktail a fresh, floral point of view.
White cranberry keeps it bright. Cointreau ads a bit of bright citrus. Fresh lime provides balance, while Origen gives the drink its botanical foundation.
Courtside Cosmo
- 1.5 oz Origen
- 1oz cranberry juice
- 0.5 oz lime juice
- 0.75 oz Cointreau
Shake the vodka, lime, Cointreau and white cranberry juice with ice. Strain into a chilled glass. For a spritz, serve over ice and top with club soda.
2. The Lychee Martini Gets More Interesting
The Lychee Martini rose to prominence during the 1990s and early 2000s, when cocktail lounges were turning nearly everything into a Martini. Its floral sweetness made it instantly recognizable, although not always particularly balanced.
The Lychee-Juniper Glow swaps the expected vodka for Harmony Gin. Lychee brings the floral sweetness, lemon adds acidity and Harmony gives the drink botanical structure. Egg white creates a smooth texture and the dramatic foam that makes it feel right at home today.
Lychee-Juniper Glow
- 2 oz Harmony Gin
- 0.5 oz lychee syrup
- 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg white
- Edible flower, for garnish
Dry-shake the ingredients without ice. Add ice and shake again. Fine-strain into a coupe and garnish with an edible flower.
3. The Espresso Martini Refused to Leave
London bartender Dick Bradsell created the Espresso Martini during the 1980s after a customer requested a drink that could deliver both energy and alcohol. Originally called the Vodka Espresso, it eventually became one of the defining drinks of the Martini era.
It fell out of favor with cocktail purists. Customers continued ordering it anyway. Customers won.
In this version, espresso provides bitterness, coffee liqueur adds body and a small amount of agave smooths the edges. Origen creates a clean base that lets the coffee remain the star.
Espresso Martini
- 1.5 oz Origen Vodka
- 1 oz coffee liqueur
- 0.75 oz espresso
- 0.25 oz agave
Shake vigorously with ice to create the signature foam. Double-strain into a chilled coupe or Martini glass.
4. The Bramble Makes Fruit Fun Again
Created by Dick Bradsell in London during the 1980s, the original Bramble combined gin, lemon, sugar and blackberry liqueur over crushed ice. Bradsell reportedly drew inspiration from picking blackberries as a child.
Our Blueberry Bramble keeps the elements that made the original so appealing: fresh fruit, bright citrus and a gloriously full glass of crushed ice.
Blueberries provide natural color and flavor. Lemon keeps the fruit lively, simple syrup balances the acidity and Harmony gives the drink its herbal backbone.
Blueberry Bramble
- 1.5 oz Harmony Gin
- 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice
- 0.75 oz simple syrup
- 6 to 8 blueberries
- Additional blueberries and a lemon wheel, for garnish
Muddle the blueberries in the bottom of a rocks glass. Shake the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice. Fine-strain over fresh crushed ice and the muddled berries. Garnish with blueberries and a lemon wheel.
5. The Shirley Temple Grows Up
The Shirley Temple emerged during the 1930s, although several restaurants and hotels have claimed the invention. The combination of soda, grenadine and a cherry gave younger guests their own version of cocktail hour.
Our grown-up nonalcoholic version keeps the color and fun but brings in the balance missing from many overly sweet versions.
Tart cherry adds depth. Pomegranate syrup nods to classic grenadine, while lime supplies acidity. Nonalcoholic bitters contribute spice, ginger beer brings heat and sparkling water keeps everything light.
The Shirley, All Grown Up
- 1 oz unsweetened tart cherry juice
- 0.75 oz fresh lime juice
- 0.5 oz pomegranate syrup
- 2 dashes nonalcoholic aromatic bitters
- 2 oz ginger beer
- 1 oz sparkling water
- Amarena or quality cocktail cherry, for garnish
Shake the cherry juice, lime juice, pomegranate syrup and bitters with ice. Strain over fresh ice. Top with ginger beer and sparkling water, then garnish with a cocktail cherry.
What Changed? Maybe We Did.
These cocktails still have color, fruit, foam and crushed ice. What they no longer need is an apology.
Better spirits give them structure. Fresh citrus keeps them bright. Controlled sweetness allows the other flavors to show up. Botanicals and bitters give familiar drinks a more complex finish.
Good taste was never about ordering the most serious-looking drink at the table. It is knowing what you enjoy and expecting it to be made well.
The cocktails we pretended we were too cool for are back. Honestly, they look pretty good from here.
Experience the Courtside Cosmo at Golden State Valkyries games and Splash, or recreate these returning favorites with Origen Vodka and Harmony Gin.
