Vodka, Lemon, Orange Liqueur, Cranberry Juice
The International Bartenders Association recipe is based on vodka citron, lemon-flavored vodka. The cosmopolitan is a relative of cranberry coolers like the Cape Codder. Though often presented far differently, the cosmopolitan also bears a likeness in composition to the kamikaze cocktail. The cosmopolitan cocktail gained popularity quickly. It traveled from Provincetown, through New York, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and on to San Francisco (Caine]). It could also possibly have been from Miami to San Francisco, and on to New York (Cook[).
The cosmopolitan gained popularity in the 1990s. It was further popularized among young women by its frequent mention on the television program Sex and the City, where Sarah Jessica Parker's character, Carrie Bradshaw, commonly ordered the drink when out with her girlfriends. The film adaptation made a reference to its popularity when Miranda asks why they stopped drinking them, Carrie replies "because everyone else started."