‘And Just Like That’ Season 2: Five iconic cocktails favoured by the Sex and the City characters

The much-anticipated season 2 of the Sex and the City revival ‘And Just Like That’ will premiere on Thursday June 22nd, with fans around the globe eager to get their next fix of iconic characters Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, and Charlotte York.

The Sex and the City franchise is admired for many things, including normalising conversations around sex and female empowerment, and introducing viewers to countless fashion designers and trends. However, another undeniable legacy traced back to the hit 90s show is the impact it made on the drinks industry, most notably in the form of the bar orders made by the beloved characters.

The societal impact of these mixed drinks can still be seen in popular culture to this day, with Google searches for ‘Cosmopolitan recipe’ increasing 92% in the last 7 days alone, no doubt inspired by the media buzz and press interviews surrounding the launch of the new HBO series.

Below, the drinks experts at online drinks retailer, The Bottle Club, have taken a deep dive into the phenomenon that is Sex and the City, to highlight some of the most notable cocktails and drinks enjoyed by the characters during the past 25 years. As well as recipes for avid fans to recreate as they settle down to reacquaint themselves with Carrie and her crew.

Cosmopolitan

Very few cocktails are as instantly recognisable as the cosmo. Undoubtedly the most famous of all the drinks featured across the original series, the cosmopolitan was reportedly first created in 1975, but became a global phenomenon during the late nineties as Sex and the City grew in popularity, and audiences were keen to start emulating their favourite fictional characters’ bar orders on nights out.

Not overly sweet or too tart, the cosmopolitan is perfect for impressing guests, and can be taken to the next level with a high end vodka or by including fresh, rather than bottled, lime juice.

Ingredients:
(serves 1)

35ml of vodka
15ml of triple sec OR orange liquer
20ml of cranberry juice
10ml of fresh lime juice
Ice
1 orange (optional for garnish)

Method:

Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker with ice and shake until cold
Strain into a chilled martini glass and serve with an orange zest for garnish

Flirtini

The flirtini cocktail was enjoyed by all four of the main characters during a roof party towards the end of the season 3, during the episode titled ‘Cock-a-doodle-do’. The cocktail itself is perfect for brunches, picnics or BBQs as it can be made in batches or stored in jugs for sharing among a large group. The appealing ingredients are sure to make it a real crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients:
(serves 1)

35ml of vodka
70ml of fresh pineapple juice
Champagne
Garnish of your choice (thyme, pineapple slice, orange peel etc)

Method:

Add vodka and pineapple juice to a cocktail shaker, then add ice and shake until cold
Strain into a glass of your choice and top with champagne
Finish with optional garnish

Manhattan

In a show so synonymous with the city of Manhattan, it goes without saying that this iconic drink made its fair share of appearances throughout the six seasons, with PR socialite Samantha Jones ordering the tipple on several occasions.

Created in the 1800s and named after the bar it was first developed in, the cocktail remains a firm favourite amongst whiskey drinkers to this day.

Ingredients:
(serves 1)

60ml of rye whiskey
30ml of sweet vermouth
2 dashes of Angoustura bitters
Ice
Maraschino cherry (for garnish)

Method:

Fill a pint glass with ice
Add rye whiskey, vermouth and bitters, then stir well
Strain into a chilled glass and add optional garnish

Ruby

The ‘Ruby’ cocktail was referenced in season 4, episode 12 of the show titled ‘Just Say Yes’, as Carrie and Samantha sit in the New York bar and discuss her engagement to Aidan.

Interestingly, the show’s version of the drink was created by the the Florida Citrus Commission in order to boost sales of the Florida grapefruit and to act as somewhat of a replacement or alternative to their longstanding favourite, the cosmopolitan.

Ingredients:
(serves 1)

45ml of Vodka
30ml of triple sec
30ml freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
7.5ml of sugar syrup
Ice
Optional garnish of choice (grapfruit slice, orange peer etc)

Method:

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until cold
Strain into a cold cocktail glass
Add optional garnish and serve

Dirty Martini

The appearance of the ‘dirty martini’ on Sex and the City is perhaps most remembered for being the drink that Samantha Jones throws in the face of her cheating lover, Richard Wright, during season 5.

A drink for lovers of salty flavours, adding olive brine to the ingredients of a classic gin or vodka martini is what makes the drink ‘dirty’ – due to its change in appearance from clear to cloudy.

Ingredients:
(serves 1)

80ml of dry gin
20ml of dry vermouth
3 pitted green olives
15ml of olive brine
Ice

Method:

Add a martini glass to the fridge or freezer to chill
Thread olives onto a cocktail stick and set aside
Fill a jug or mixing glass with ice, as well as the gin, vermouth and olive brine
Stir gently until the outside of the jug or glass feels cold
Strain into your martini glass, garnish with olive skewer and serve

Peach Bellini

The Sex and the City girls weren’t just partial to enjoying cocktails during evenings out in bars and restaurants, as they also enjoyed a freshly-mixed drink with their long weekend brunches while catching up.

Along with a classic bloody mary, the peach bellini was among the most notable ‘brunch’ cocktails consumed by characters during the course of the show, and it’s not difficult to see why.

Ingredients:
(serves 6)

2 medium-sized fresh peaches
1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ a cup of cold water
Pinch of sugar
1 bottle of champagne or prosecco

Method:

Puree diced peaches, water, lemon juice and sugar in a blender until smooth
Fill champagne flutes a quarter of the way with the puree blend, and then top off with champagne or prosecco