Speaking of homegrown creations, the City of Miami Beach recognized Celebrity Mixologist Cheryl Cook on Wednesday July 29th for inventing the Cosmopolitan Cocktail back in the 1985 at The Strand Restaurant in South Beach. Created from Citrus Vodka, Triple Sec, Cranberry and lemon or lime, not only is it pretty in a Martini glass, it became wildly popular when it was the libation of choice for the night clubbing gals on Sex & The City, who ordered them at every possible moment. As an early chronicler of the beginning of South Beach’s Art Deco renaissance, I was a regular at the stylish upscale Strand, the only place where all of the new transplants and worlds of art, fashion, music and food collided back then. I recall having Mako Shark steaks with Cosmopolitans and watching 80s stars like KD Lang and Madonna hold court in the enormous booths.
Says Cook “What overwhelmed me was the number of people who ordered Martinis just to be seen with a Martini glass in their hand. It was on this realization that gave me the idea to create a drink that everyone could palate and was visually stunning in that classic glass. This is what the Cosmo was based on. I did serve many celebrities over the old days on South Beach. Madonna drank Cosmos so did John F. Kennedy Jr. with Darrell Hannah. I made cosmo martini’s for Martin Scorsese. Queen Latifah, Tommy Tune, Hal Prince and many others. The stars loved The Strand.”
Cook was an early resident of South Beach who was part of many of the innovative businesses that came to define South Beach.
“I started at the Strand working as Equity Stage Manager for a theatre Company that worked out of their banquet room and my all time favorite was having Lauren Hutton come as my guest to a show and David Byrne attending my birthday party after the show one night. Patricia Field and Rebecca Weinberg, Emmy -winning Costumers of all of the Sex and The City shows and movies were regulars at my bar at The Strand, Barocco Beach @ The Park Central Hotel and 821. They watched me make 1000’s of Cosmo’s!”
Cook’s original recipes called for “Absolut Citron, a splash of Triple Sec a drop of Roses lime and just enough cranberry to make it oh so pretty in pink.” Although Absolut Citron was not introduced anywhere officially until 1988, it was test-marketed in Miami.
Cheers to Cook and the well deserved recognition.
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Cosmopolitan Celebration: Celebrity Mixologist Cheryl Cook Was Recognized by the City of Miami Beach for inventing the Cosmopolitan Cocktail Back in the 80′
