The temperature is almost 100 degrees F outside today -- it's absolutely miserable outside. It also happens to be Friday.

hot temperatures + weekend = time for cocktails

Today's cocktail (when I get home): Cosmopolitans!

~::drool::~

The gals on Sex and the City should for all intents and purposes be completely smashed after having only a couple of Cosmopolitans. Not only do the gals on SatC weigh a combined total of 100 lbs (and thus probably lightweights in the alcohol department), but the Cosmo is one of the strongest cocktails around - with far more alcohol by volume than most cocktails. There is only the slightest bit of mixer in the basic recipe...

Basic Cosmopolitan recipe:
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz cranberry juice
1/4 oz lime juice
Pour into a martini shaker with crushed ice, shake, then pour into a martini glass.

There are many different variations you can try with a Cosmo, but here are a few that I think are fun:

The Purple Cosmo:
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz Blue Curacao
1/2 oz cranberry juice
1/4 oz lime juice

The only difference between triple sec and blue curacao is that blue curacao is colored blue. They are both orange liquors. When you make a cosmo substituting blue curacao, the result is a very purple cosmo!
You could also try that substitution in a margarita, but it turns your margarita bright green -- and that's just wrong!! You end up looking like a freak with a margarita that El Chupacabra vomited in.

Grand Marnier Cosmo:
1 oz vodka (preferably, use a high-quality vodka since you're using a high-quality orange liquor)
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
1/2 oz cranberry juice
1/4 oz lime juice

I also recommend giving the flavored vodkas a whirl. They bring a little extra flavor to your cosmo. Lemon, orange, and raspberry vodkas are especially tasty. Yup, I'm definitely going to enjoy sitting around in my robe, watching SatC, and sipping Cosmos in front of my swamp cooler. :)