When Arvid Brown and his crew had been creating the cocktail record at Portland, Maine’s Room for Enchancment, he thought again to recommendation he obtained from an early bar mentor: “You may by no means get mad at a Cosmo. Regardless of how good your own home cocktails are, you’re at all times going to make Cosmos since folks will at all times get them organized.” So, he thought, Why don’t we make our Cosmo one among our flagship drinks?
The intention was to attraction not solely to the client who orders Cosmos at each bar, but additionally to “nerdy cocktail pals who would possibly by no means ordinarily name for a Cosmo,” says Brown. That meant rethinking every ingredient. “We checked out what it’s that folks like about it: It’s pink, it’s served up, it’s citrusy, it’s refreshing and it’s obtained slightly tartness,” Brown says. “We tried to reengineer these flavors with extra craft components.”
The vodka was straightforward: “St. George Spirits makes a very glorious however very inexpensive citrus vodka,” Brown says, citing its nuanced taste, which incorporates bergamot. For the orange liqueur, Brown ordered greater than a half-dozen sorts and tried them in varied 50/50 blends. The profitable combo marries Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, which has a Cognac base for added depth, and Clément Créole Shrubb, which brings richness and spice to the glass. The mix additionally helps resolve what Brown sees as a difficulty with Cosmopolitans—they are typically skinny. “We considered how you can give it roundness and physique, and Creole Shrubb was that ingredient.”
Brown knew he wanted one thing extra advanced than juice for the cranberry part. After making an attempt varied syrups and macerations, he settled on mixing equal elements cranberries, sugar and water in a Vitamix till clean, then fine-straining the combination and including a measure of Campari. This “cranpari” cordial is cranberry-forward, “however the Campari provides depth and bitterness and amps up the colour of the drink,” in accordance with Brown. The ultimate contact is just a few drops of saline resolution, which Brown likes including to shaken sours. “Once we had been doing tastings, we made one with salt and one with out and hands-down we favored it higher with the salt. It amplifies the flavors.”
With its sneakily advanced taste profile, the Cosmopolitan matches proper into the easygoing vibe at Room for Enchancment, the place each drink, regardless of how widespread, is executed at a excessive degree with out turning into too fussy. The bar’s dive-y atmosphere and lowbrow meals menu—everyone seems to be consuming Maine purple snapper scorching canines and crunching cheese balls—could make it a shocking spot to search out among the greatest cocktails on the town. But it surely is smart that this dichotomy was Brown’s plan all alongside. Like every part at Room for Enchancment, the cranpari Cosmo “turns your expectations in your head.”
