Appletini
A crisp apple cocktail with a sweet-tart balance and a flash of green charm in a Martini glass.
Ingredients
- Vodka, clean and neutral45 ml
- Apple liqueur, tart green apple liqueur45 ml
- Lime juice, freshly squeezed15 ml
- Simple syrup, to taste (1 part Sugar, 1 part Water)10 ml
- Apple juice, clear and unsweetened15 ml
- Apple, thin Granny Smith slice, rubbed with lemon to prevent browning (optional)1 slice
Method
- Chill a Martini glass in the freezer or with ice water.
- Pour the vodka, apple liqueur, lime juice, simple syrup and apple juice into a shaker.
- Fill the shaker halfway with ice and shake hard for 15–20 seconds, until ice-cold and lightly aerated.
- Double-strain the cocktail into the chilled Martini glass.
- Garnish with a thin slice of Granny Smith apple on top.
About this drink
The Appletini emerged in 1990s New York, where bartenders played with colourful, modern Martini variations and found a winner in fresh apple flavour. It soon became a symbol of the era’s taste for sweet, easy-drinking cocktails served in the classic Martini glass. Today it endures as a fresh classic, balancing acidity and sweetness with a clean, cold finish.
Questions and answers
Which vodka should you use for an Appletini?
A clean, neutral vodka with little character of its own is right, because the apple liqueur and juice should provide the flavour, not the spirit. A strongly aromatic vodka simply overwhelms the fresh apple.
Does the apple liqueur in an Appletini have to be green?
The colour is cosmetic rather than flavour-led, so use whichever apple liqueur you can find, whether green or clear. If it is very sweet, reduce the simple syrup a little instead.
