Notes: I don’t normally review cocktail kits or canned cocktails – I just don’t usually care for them and frankly I think they are in my experience usually awful and in the same league as frozen entrees or pizza – a bland mass made product using the cheapest ingredients .
Thankfully this is completely NOT the case in this instance.

A bit of background as too why this fell into my lap is probably in order?
This will be in reverse chronological order so please bear with me…..

As many people know ( or were forcibly exposed to, by either friends or news media of late) “Sex and The City” was exhumed and reanimated by HBO recently and one of its signatures was of course the Cosmopolitan Cocktail. A very good and old friend ( who may deny this in polite company) Dale DeGroff AKA King Cocktail, was and still is a major force in the cocktail revival or the 1990’s.

Dale is also the author of what is now considered a standard reference in the field called ” Craft of the Cocktail ” and was the consultant to Sex and The City on what kind of drinks they should be having.

Dale resurrected and refined the Cosmopolitan Cocktail ( whose origins are disputed by several people – like almost every other modern cocktail) for Sex and the City and it took the nation by storm at the time. Now with the Undead version of Sex and the City upon us, the Cosmo has itself been unearthed, and unlike the rest of the cast, looks and tastes better than before.

The Absolut Cosmopolitan Cocktail Kit is made (assembled?)  by Cocktail Courier a group who has come out with a number of different cocktail kits- kind of like those meal kits – except of course with alcohol and designed to make specific cocktails. Using the more of less standard IBA recipe, they have made some minor tweaks which ave raised the cosmo to another level by the careful selection and consideration of what almost always makes or breaks a cocktail – the details.

Appearance: Well put together kit that comes in a impressively solid mailer/box with internal dividers and internal excelsior to protect all the ingredients. Nicely fresh and appealing looking fruit for juicing and garnishing in more than adequate amounts for 9 cocktails . Contents are packaged in such a way that you can either mix it all in one go or have multiple sessions with it.

First Impression: Much less cloying than many other Cosmos.Nicely Citron , aromatic and citrus notes than most. with a clean citrus forward aroma.

Taste: Well structured balance of sweet and dry juices with a delicate interplay of cranberry and citrus with just the right amount of sweetness to keep it bracing but not bitter or at the other end a cloying pink mess.

Drinks: Makes 9 cocktails altogether. Relatively easy if slightly hard to interpret recipe- parts ratios take a bit of mental math at first. All the ingredients are there , all you really need is a measuring device juicer, shaker and a nice to pull this off.

Bottle: All bottles included. One half liter ( or was it a 375 ?( of Absolut Citron, four 50 ML of Combier Clear Triple Sec, and some small cans of cranberry juice. Along with of course a couple oranges and 8 limes.

Other: Great kits for the cocktail hopeless or people who just want a great out of the box cocktail kit for a party or special occasion. Much easier than struggling around with larger and much more expensive supplies if you only want a certain number of cocktails, and a lot cheaper and better than playing cocktail roulette by ordering the same number of cocktails at a bar and hoping for the same quality.

Final Thoughts: Best Cosmopolitan cocktail I have ever had ! Actually made me a fan of them but I definitely would not expect on like this at almost any bar. An excellent and easy to use kit !

Website: www.cocktailcourier.com

Well done if somewhat simple website. Nice selection of cocktail kits and even a section with videos to polish your cocktail making skills.