So Cosmopolitan

I might not have seen Sex and The City 2 had it not been for one very special guest star: Wendy Brandes Cleopatra earrings! (Kim Cattrall is really just the vessel.)


Kim looking hawt (not hot) in the middle of the desert thanks to THE earrings!


Cleopatra in gold and diamonds

I thought the first SATC movie was...ummm...terrible...so I had zero expectations for the follow up and planned to skip it all together until it was revealed that Wendy's Cleopatra earrings had made it big! Wendy immediately organized a viewing/wearing party on opening night, so a group of us descended upon the Ziegfeld (also a minor character in the movie) actually wearing(!) the Cleopatra earrings to see their debut in person. (You can read Wendy's fabulously detailed blog post here.) We all cheered when we saw them on screen, so proud of our friend!


The Cleopatra Crew

Cleopatra in silver

Although we stopped for drinks before AND after the movie, I still had a yearning for a good old fashioned Cosmopolitan (and by old fashioned I mean circa 1998). Although the drink has been around since the 70s (or 80s depending on who claims to have invented it) it became super trendy once Carrie and the girls started ordering it on the show. Of course then every bar had to start serving them up to be on trend with the ladies. The problem was, no one really knew how to make one properly. That red colored, Hawaiian Punch looking concoction you've seen in most places? Wrong! It shouldn't be red, but blush colored. You're not ordering a vodka cranberry-no ice, you're ordering a properly made cocktail like a Sidecar or a Margarita.

The only place I ever went where they served a properly made Cosmopolitan (other than my own kitchen) was Il Bagatto. You wouldn't necessarily think of going to an Italian restaurant for the best Cosmo in town, but the best bartender in town, Marco, made it perfectly and I spent nearly seven years going there to enjoy it (and the grilled calamari). Sadly, Marco moved back to Rome and Cosmos went out of style.

Some people have complained that SATC2 was desperate, too camp, and there just wasn't enough CITY. Perhaps. But I thought camp was really the only way to go at this point and the movie opened and closed in NYC so I was satisfied, the girls just went on vacation in between. If you're looking for high art or potential Oscar contention, go to the MoMA or see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. No one is making you see this movie (except that Wendy's earrings ARE exceptional at 2 stories high!!!). Just like I wouldn't be caught dead ordering a Cosmo now (because I have a cocktail rep to protect obvs!) and the SATC franchise may be over, you can still enjoy both. In or out of style.

Carrie's Cosmopolitan

2 ounces vodka (preferably citron flavored)
1 ounce Cointreau or Triple Sec
1 ounce fresh lemon (or lime) juice
Cranberry juice cocktail

1. Pour the vodka, Cointreau, and lemon juice into a martini shaker filled with ice cubes. Add a very small splash of cranberry juice just to color the drink. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon peel. Makes 1 drink.