I tried Ina Garten's new cosmopolitan recipe and it's even better than the one that made her an Instagram star (2024)

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Ina Garten became an icon on Instagram after whipping up a massive cosmopolitan at 9 a.m.

Garten was already a household name to food lovers who had poured through her many cookbooks and watched "Barefoot Contessa" on the Food Network.

But Garten found a whole new group of fans when she posted a video at the start of the pandemic that showed her sipping a cosmopolitan from a huge martini glass.

"It's always co*cktail hour in a crisis!" she wrote in the caption of the video, which has been viewed more than 3 million times.

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I made Garten's famous cosmo and loved it, so I knew I had to try her newest co*cktail recipe.

I whipped up Garten's cosmopolitan when I spent a day living like the "Barefoot Contessa" star during lockdown. It was the first real co*cktail I'd ever made, and I was a huge fan. The drink was super easy to whip up, and I loved its gorgeous color and refreshing flavor.

Fast-forward three years and I still love making Garten's recipes (and co*cktails). So when I saw she had a watermelon cosmopolitan recipe in her newest cookbook, "Go-To Dinners," I pulled out my trusty co*cktail shaker.

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Garten's watermelon cosmopolitan recipe was inspired by two of her famous friends.

Garten credits her watermelon co*cktail recipe to Rob Marshall and John DeLuca, a Hollywood director-producer power couple behind major films like "Chicago" and the recent revival of "The Little Mermaid."

"My friends Rob Marshall and John DeLuca love creating new co*cktails," she writes in the recipe's description. "Their delicious variation on a cosmo has become my go-to summer drink because everyone loves this refreshing blend of watermelon purée spiked with a hit of fresh lime juice plus vodka. Yum!"

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It was time for co*cktail hour! And Garten's new recipe only needs a few ingredients.

To make four of Garten's watermelon cosmos at home, you'll need:

• 4 cups diced red watermelon
• 6 ounces good vodka (Ina recommends Grey Goose)
• 3 ounces Cointreau or triple sec
• 2 ounces freshly-squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 4 large mint sprigs, for garnish

Before you start, Garten recommends throwing some martini glasses in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill them.

I didn't have any martini glasses on hand, so I used wine glasses instead. I also found that 15 minutes in the freezer still did the trick.

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I began by squeezing some limes.

Garten is always a champion of using freshly-squeezed juice in her co*cktails, and the watermelon cosmos are no different.

Since I was making five drinks instead of four, I adjusted the recipe and squeezed an extra lime for this step.

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Then I prepped the watermelon.

I'd never carved a watermelon before, but it was easier than I expected. I cut my small seedless watermelon in half, then sliced those halves into quarters before separating the flesh from the rind.

Once that was done, I diced the watermelon chunks so they'd be ready for the blender.

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Since I was using a seedless watermelon, I was able to purée it in the blender.

If you're using a seeded watermelon, Garten recommends using a food mill for this step. According to her recipe, you should place a food mill fitted with the largest disk over a bowl and pass the diced watermelon through the mill to separate it from the seeds and pulp.

Then I poured my watermelon juice through a fine-mesh sieve.

This removes any extra pulp from the juice.

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I added my watermelon juice to a pitcher, along with the lime juice.

The bright-pink color was stunning and looked perfect for summer.

Then I added the vodka and Cointreau.

Remember you'll need 6 ounces of vodka and 3 ounces of Cointreau if you're making four cosmos (I used a little extra to make five).

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It was time to shake!

I filled a co*cktail shaker half full with ice, poured in some of my co*cktail mixture, and shook the drink for a full 30 seconds, per Garten's instructions.

Make sure to hold the top and don't fill the shaker up all the way — I learned that lesson the hard way when I first tried to make Garten's cosmos during the pandemic!

My watermelon cosmo was ready, and it looked stunning.

I added my sprig of mint and admired the beautiful drink, which had a pink hue that was reminiscent of Garten's original recipe. When I tried Garten's cosmo in 2020, I had actually compared the color to watermelon juice — which was nearly spot on.

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Garten's watermelon cosmos were a huge crowd-pleaser, and I'll be drinking them all summer long.

While I loved Garten's original cosmo, I definitely prefer her new recipe. The fresh watermelon juice was such a delicious mixer for the vodka and Cointreau, bringing the sweetness and brightness that I always crave in a fun summer co*cktail, and the lime juice really helped punch up the overall flavor. It was extremely refreshing — and extremely easy to drink.

I whipped up these cosmos while on a trip with my boyfriend and his family, and they were a unanimous hit.

"It's everything you want in a summer co*cktail," his sister Julia said. "Definitely packs the freshness thanks to the watermelon juice, not to mention the gorgeous color — it almost looked fake it was so vibrant!"

"The perfect summer drink," our friend Becca added. "A simple, refreshing, and delicious way to kick back and enjoy days by the pool."

Warning though —these drinks go fast. I'll definitely be making Garten's watermelon cosmos again, but this time, I'm going to double the recipe.

OK, maybe triple.