Collegiate Times

A homemade cosmopolitan martini garnished with lime is an easy drink to make. Cosmos are the perfect touch to any girls' night in.

I was a 12-year-old tomboy at my first real preteen girls’ night in. Having experienced sleepovers vicariously through TV shows and movies, I felt confident in my ability to be “girly.”

My best friend insisted on painting my fingernails, a ritualistic rite of passage for all girlhood cliques. While I munched popcorn and watched a goofy teen movie, happily unaware of whatever color she was smearing on my nails, she gossiped about middle school drama and swooned over attractive boy celebrities.

“Done,” she announced triumphantly as she blew on my nails. “Now you do mine.”

It was a command, not a request, and before I could stutter that I had never painted another person’s nails, she had presented me with blue nail polish and stuck her hands in front of my face.

Fifteen minutes later she gave up on me and painted her nails herself.  

As an adult, I’m still painfully unfeminine at times. Yes, I straighten my hair and apply my makeup with well-trained hands, but ask me what I did last and I’ll tell you about video games and action movies, or maybe how I painted a van Gogh replica onto an egg while watching an episode of “Deadliest Warrior.”

My absolute girliest tendency is my obsession with a certain show. I admit that it can be shallow, stereotypical and frequently inappropriate, but I love “Sex and the City.”

Oh, I look like a girl, but I’ve never been good at acting like one — at least by traditional standards.

But then again, isn’t that what “Sex in the City” was all about? Rejecting the stereotypes that women have to conduct themselves in predetermined manners based on societal expectations?

To celebrate “Sex and the City 2,” opening Friday, one of my female friends and I decided to have our own girls’ night in.  So we decided what better way to celebrate a show about being “single and fabulous” than with cosmopolitans and bruschetta?

There’s an easy way to do this without any real effort — just buy a cosmo mix and pick up bruschetta at a local restaurant — but then it wouldn’t be DIY.

(Note: Some might argue that a girls’ night requires high heels and short skirts, regardless of whether it’s a night in or out. My friend and I opted for socks and sweatpants)

Cosmo
The first thing to consider when making a cosmo is whether it’s going to regular or virgin. To make a virgin cosmo, just substitute tonic in the place of vodka. Your drink is going to be a little bubbly but equally delicious.

What you’ll need:
-vodka or tonic water
-cranberry juice
-lime juice
-water

It’s important to note that our homemade cosmo doesn’t have as many ingredients it as the kind you would get a bar or restaurant, but we’re going to keep it simple — and still delicious.

When choosing vodka, look for a good brand. My personal favorite is Rain, an organic corn-based drink. It’s a little on the pricey side, at least by college student standards, but it’s well worth it.

As for tonic water, look for ones with real sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup; it tastes a lot better.

For the juice portion, mix two parts cranberry juice with one part lime juice and stir well.

The amount of juice mix you make depends on how many glasses you want to make. For each severing, use two shots of the juice mix and one shot of vodka or tonic water.

Add these into a shaker, along with plenty of ice. Give it a good shake and then strain the cosmo into a cute glass.

Take a sip. If it’s too strong or sweet, add a few tablespoons of water until it’s right for you. Garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy.

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A version of this article appeared in the May 27 issue of the Collegiate Times.