"Sex and the City" may be off the air until next season, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the trendy pink drink locally.
The Cosmo is a hard drink to construct. It has to be just the perfect blend of tart sweetness, not too powerful but not too powder puffy. Comprised mainly of Vodka, Cointreau (a liquor) and lime juice (with a splash of cranberry tossed in for good measure), a Cosmopolitan can be a girl's best friend on a Friday night.
Ranging in color from very dark to very light pink (which is no indication of the drink's strength, just its ingredient breakdown), the Cosmopolitan is one of the coolest trendy drinks around these days -- and the martini glass gets you extra princess points, so drink up.
Fly Me To The Moon
3400 N. Clark St.
(773) 528-4033
The tiny (but classy) bar at Fly Me to the Moon offers one of the city's best Cosmopolitans. The cocktails are thirstquenching (with the necessary tang), but can be a bit pricey (Cosmos and their family of martini glass beverages run about $7-8). Still, with the vintage music (think Frank Sinatra) and the evening-out feel of the place, Fly Me to the Moon seems the perfect place to get a Cosmopolitan.
Drink & Eat
(aka The Drink, Drink, "Hey, what's that big dance club with like three rooms?")
702 W. Fulton Ave.
(312) 733-7800
No, really -- Drink has one of the yummiest Cosmopolitans! You wouldn't expect it from this warehouse-type dance club where shots and less regal drinks are the orders of the day, but Drink makes a mean pink drink. You may have some problems sipping the Cosmo, given the severe lack of elbow space on the weekends, but all in all, if you can find somewhere to carefully maneuver the wide-rimmed glass to your mouth, you're in for a treat.
Tilli's
1952 N. Halsted St.
(773) 325-0044
For Cosmo critters who are looking for a pink drink to wash down their meal with, Tilli's in Lincoln Park is one of the best places to snag a drink and dine. Featuring a pretty diverse menu (some international dishes, really good pasta), Tilli's inviting dark, cozy atmosphere wraps around your Cosmo glass as smoothly as your hand -- which won't want to put down these easy-to-chug versions of the drink.
Joy-Blue
1401 W. Irving Park
(773) 477-3330
What Joy Blue lacks in ambiance (it looks so much cooler from the outside!) it makes up for in Cosmopolitans. The too smoky, too spread out tavern packs a punch into its pink painkillers. Filled to the brim (almost too full to carry away from the bar), the drink tastes like pink lemonade probably should.
The Leg Room
7 W. Division
(312) 337-2583
For a little ambiance -- dark room and people in dark clothes (black, black, black -- color begone!) -- and a Cosmopolitan just this side of sugary sweet, head over to the Rush and Division area standout The Leg Room. The Leg Room features a number of fresh takes on the martini (Godiva liqueur and Chambord, to name drop), too.