Five-Berry Cosmopolitan
My aunt Ellen makes the most gorgeous–and the most lethal–Cosmopolitan I have ever met. Made with regular vodka, it is all pale pink demureness: the lace garter of cocktails, with a dagger tucked in. A deeper blush comes from five-berry infused vodka.
Five-Berry Vodka
This is a happily imprecise procedure.
Throw a large handful each of washed strawberries (stemmed and halved), cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries (or whatever berries you can lay hands on, really) into a large glass jar or bottle with an air-tight lid. You can buy an infusion jar with a spigot, but this isn’t necessary.
Pour 2-3 quarts vodka over the fruit. You can use less, with a quicker result. Put the lid on and let the jar sit in a cool, dry place. Give it a shake every day, and taste the vodka regularly. We were happy with ours after only two days near a sunny windowsill, but you may want to let yours rest for a week or longer.
When you’re satisfied with the color and flavor, strain the vodka into another container. Store your infused vodka as you would regular vodka.
If you are eager to try this and lacking in vessels, you could, in a pinch, roll some berries down the neck of a two-thirds-full bottle of vodka.
Five-Berry Cosmopolitan
3 oz. Five-Berry Vodka
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. cranberry juice
Juice of half a lime
Shake all ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker. Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with a lime twist.
You might note that the recipe for the Cosmopolitan makes 2!
I managed to fit the whole quantity into a single martini glass, and not an enormous one. But yes: it makes two daintily sized cocktails, or one to really go the distance.