They do love their cocktails, those Sex and the City ladies. In fact, they've swilled so many on the show that their two favorites - the cosmopolitan and the appletini - have been elevated almost to icon status.

The cosmo, a close cousin of the martini, was around before the TV show but it didn't become a rage until the ladies started drinking them early in the show's run.

Later in the series they started dipping into appletinis, a more recent addition to the bartender's arsenal.

For a cosmo we head to the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza hotel (formerly the Omni), where bartender Morgan Jump is known to whip up one of the best around.

"I never saw the show, but I have people come in here all the time and ask for 'that Sex and the City drink.' We sold them before the show, but once it started, they went through the roof. I can't even guess how many I served last weekend for Valentine's Day."

Jump's take on the cosmo is a variation on the classic. He uses Absolut Citron instead of the unflavored vodka. Like so: Fill a martini glass with ice and water and let chill. Then mix in a shaker half-full of ice: 11/2 ounces vodka, 1/2 ounce Cointreau (Triple Sec works too), 1/2 ounce cranberry juice and a squeeze of lime. Shake well and pour into the chilled glass. Garnish with a lime wedge or lemon twist or both.

For an appletini, let's hike up Vine Street to Hamburger Mary's, where bartender Skye Tate nightly mixes whole batches of the pale green cocktail.

To mix: Follow the same ice and water routine with the martini glass. In a cocktail shaker half-full of ice, mix with two parts vodka and one part Apple Pucker. "The secret," Tate says, "is to shake more vigorously than you normally would so you get flecks of ice in the cocktail."

Fill the chilled glass, float a slice of green apple across the top and dive in.

Jim Knippenberg