Starting with Absolut Citron tastes great, but you can always spruce up the taste of the cocktail with a higher-end vodka. “If you want to kick it to a level up beyond Carrie and her pals, try Hangar One’s Buddha’s Hand Citron vodka,” Trueheart recommends. “It tosses the lemons in favor of the Buddha’s Hand Asian citron fruit, and the result is a more complex, slightly floral flavor.”
Finding the right balance of sweet and sour also compliments the particular vodka you opt to use. “It also never hurts to use fresh lime juice instead of bottled Rose’s, but if you do, you may want to compensate for the sweetness you lose by adding some simple syrup,” Trueheart said. By working with these simple ingredients, you can shake things up with a Cosmo that you can feel proud serving to anyone at one of your next soirees. Give Trueheart’s suggestions a shot next time you need to find the right vodka, and you may just transport your taste buds straight to Manhattan!
