Cosmopolitan is a cocktail claimed by several bartenders. It is said the bartenders Neal Murray and Cherly Cook possibly created almost identical drinks with the same name, then other bartenders such as Melissa Huffsmith, Toby Cecchini and Dale DeGroff claim to be the first to have upgraded the Cosmopolitan recipe by using quality ingredients.

The most popular claim is that was created by Cherly Cook, the Martini Queen of South Beach, in the 1980s. Cook was suprised by how many people ordered the classic Martini cocktail just for the sake to be seen with the glass in hand. The ideia was to create a drink that everyone could pallet and was visually stunning in that classic glass.

On the other hand, the bartender Neal Murray claims he invented the popular cocktail in 1975 while working at the Cork n’ Cleaver Steakhouse in Minneapolis. After learning the basic cocktails, he started experimenting with different versions of the Kamikaze and Gimlet cocktails and added a dash of cranberry juice to the drink.

Despite all the claims, the Cosmopolitan gained popularity fairly quickly and in the 1990s was further popularized among young women by its frequent mention on the television show Sex and the City.