Cocktail mix review: Leisuremann's Cosmopolitan mix

A powdered cocktail mix? Hmmmm...

I am always open to trying new things - especially when it comes to cocktails. But a dry cocktail mix? This had me thinking of my Girl Scout days when we regularly drank Tang, which I hated. However, never one to be close minded, I happy accepted Leisuremann's offer to try their dry cocktail mixes. 

First up, we are trying the Leisuremann's Cosmopolitan mix. I LOVE a good cosmo, I consider it one of my signature drinks so cosmos are important to me. I judge all cosmos against the amazing one's served at the Chandelier Bar inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Vegas which is a *pretty* high bar. Can this cute little cocktail mix measure up?

The package shows you exactly how to use this mix to craft the perfect cocktail. I decided it first without a spirit added so I could taste just the mix (I substituted water for the 1.5 oz of spirt.) Then I mixed it according to the directions using regular Skyy vodka. If you do the math you'll realize this is a teeny tiny cocktail of roughly 2.5 oz., just a touch smaller than what you are normally served at a bar but you could easily double the recipe for a larger drink. 

So how did it taste?

Here is my official review of the Leisuremann's Cosmo:

Pretty tasty! My first mocktail with just the mix and water over crushed ice was really good. It reminded me a light strawberry lemonade in the best way. It was very refreshing.

For my real cocktail with vodka added I made the mistake of not shaking it to really chill the vodka so my first sip was like a shot of room temperature vodka - not good, 100% my fault, not the mix's. After I let my cocktail chill with an ice cube in it for a bit I tasted it again and got the full flavor of the mix. It tastes exactly like a great cosmo and somehow even manages to match the freshness of a cocktail from a bar. It has the light citrus kick with the tart berry flavor. The flavor was spot on.

I think with some practice I could make a killer cocktail with this mix. I noticed both times I made the drink I still had a bit of mix at the bottom of my glass that wasn't fully dissolved. I didn't stir the mix since I was following the directions on the jar but the next time I try this - and I totally will be - I'm going to bust out my cocktail shaker. I have a suspicion that will take this cocktail mix up a notch. This cocktail mix might have a bit of a learning curve but it is tasty enough that I'm willing to put in the practice. I promise to report back with any tricks I learn along the way.

One shaker = not sweet at all  // Five shakers = your teeth may curl

This is not a sweet cocktail. It is tart, light and refreshing. No sweetness here.

One shaker = does this have booze? Five shakers = Four Lokos

While ultimately you decide how much vodka to add to this mix, as directed this is a super boozy drink which is right in line with a traditional cosmo. Tiny but mighty!

Side note: I think this mix would also be great with a citrus vodka if you're into that. 

Would I buy these again?

Yes I would. I love the idea of traveling with this mix because we all know airline cocktails are terrible. A few scoops and an airplane bottle of vodka and you're set!

I also love the idea of adding this dry cocktail mix to a gift basket with a nice bottle of your favorite vodka and some cute cocktail glasses - I may know where you could get some of those.. :)

The Leisuremann's Cocktail Mixes are available in several other flavors as well and you can pick them all up on their website. Here is a the full list of their cocktail mixes:

• Old Fashion
• Bee's Knees
• The Sazerac
• Classic Daiquiri
• Cosmopolitan
• Margarita - we will be trying this one in a few months for Cinco De Mayo

Have you tried this drink? What did you think? I'd love to hear from you in the comments section. The more opinions the better! Let's "drink together" and share our cocktail stories. 

We hope you enjoy our reviews. If you do decide to purchase these cocktails online using the links provided we may collect a small share of the sale.