Easy Appletini Recipe (Apple Martini)
With its simplicity and superb sour apple flavor, this four-ingredient Appletini (Apple Martini) is one of our favorite party cocktails.
It only takes a few minutes to prepare, giving you plenty of time to catch up with friends or your significant other.
To make this delectable treat, all you need is a simple cocktail shaker. If you don’t have one, a leak-proof beverage holder or mug will suffice.
What is your go-to cocktail for a get-together? I have so many that I could talk about them for hours.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS APPLE MARTINI?
- It’s silky. It’s clear that the apple vodka you use makes a difference. We use Ciroc Apple Vodka, which is made from grapes rather than wheat. As a result, the apple flavor is extremely smooth and sweet.
- It’s the ideal balance of sweet and tart. The flavor combination of apple vodka, apple juice, and fresh lemon juice results in a mouthwatering easy sipper.
- It’s lovely. We replace the neon green Sour Apple Pucker with a German Apple Liqueur, which gives it a gorgeous golden hue.
WHAT IS SCHNAPPS?
Schnapps is a sweetened fruit-flavored distilled spirit. In the United States, most schnapps are grain spirits mixed with fruit-flavored syrups.
They’re similar to flavored vodkas. You can find them in the alcohol section of most grocery stores alongside other mixers such as Baileys.
WHAT’S AN APPLETINI?
Unlike many classic cocktails with hazy origin stories, the Appletini has a fairly straightforward history.
The Appletini was created in the mid-1990s in Los Angeles at the restaurant Lola’s by bartender Adam Karsten as a vehicle for DeKuyper’s Sour Apple schnapps.
This sweet, electric green cocktail was the impetus for the barrage of ‘Tini drinks that the 1990s were famous for.
If a drink was sickly sweet and served in an oversized Martini glass, it was put on the menu. Thankfully, the cocktail Renaissance of the early 2000s put a stop to this trend.
We can, however, revisit those distant recipes and adapt them to modern tastes, and the Appletini is an excellent candidate for an update.
WHAT’S IN AN APPLETINI?
This modern take on the Appletini combines vodka, apple juice, apple bandy, lemon juice, and a tart apple syrup made from scratch.
Don’t be too concerned about the vodka you’re using; you’re looking for something neutral to mix in with the rest of the ingredients (maybe save the top shelf for a Vodka Martini).
Look for the following ingredients in the tart apple syrup to achieve that lip-puckering tartness:
- Apples, Granny Smith
- McIntosh
- The Pink Lady
For this take on the classic drink, we want to mimic the acidic bite of sour apple, but without using anything synthetic like the original.
These apples have a higher level of malic acid than sweeter varieties, making them the natural choice for the syrup.
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HOW TO MAKE AN APPLETINI?
- Begin by combining the apple juice and lemon juice in a shaker. Then, cap the shaker and shake vigorously.
- With one hand, hold the top and shake with the other. Then, combine the green apple schnapps, vodka, and ice in a mixing glass.
- Cap it again and shake vigorously. After that, strain the cocktail into a martini glass. Garnish your Apple Martini with green apple slices brushed with lemon juice, if desired.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
This delectable cocktail is made with simple ingredients that can be found in most liquor stores.
- De Kuyper Pucker Sour Apple Pucker – This is the most common De Kuyper Pucker Sour Apple Pucker. The bright green color gives this cocktail a playful appearance as well as a sweet and sour, jolly rancher flavor. You can use apple brandy instead, but it won’t be the same.
- Vodka – All you need is a good old-fashioned vodka. Feel free to use flavored vodka instead, such as Smirnoff Green Apple vodka.
- Lemon Juice – This gives the drink a fresh, tart flavor. You can also use lime juice as a substitute.
- Optional – For a lovely garnish, try a slice of green apple. Granny Smith green apples complement the green color and tart flavor well.
HOW STRONG IS AN APPLE MARTINI?
It’s extremely difficult to find a low-proof apple martini. On average, you can expect these drinks to have a 25 percent ABV alcohol content (50 proof).
That’s a lot of power, and the sweetness can actually make your taste buds want more.
Keep this in mind because it’s very easy to consume too many of these delectable beverages.
TIPS
- Because the sweetness of apple schnapps varies by brand, the amount of lemon juice in the recipe should be adjusted accordingly. For example, with Bols Sour Apple, the lemon in the recipe should be just right. If you prefer the tart bite of DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker, start with just a splash of lemon.
- If you find the cocktail too tart or dry, try adding 1/4 ounce of simple syrup to round out the flavors.
- Dip an apple slice garnish in lemon juice before cutting it . This will keep the color from turning yellow when exposed to oxygen.
- An elegant lemon twist is also a nice garnish option.
Frequently Asked Questions
What apple liqueur is best?
Berentzen Apple Liqueur is a favorite of ours. It is an apple-sweetened liquor with a bright, crisp flavor and a gorgeous golden color. You can also pour it over ice and drink it straight.
What gives this Apple Martini the sour apple taste?
The Apple Vodka makes this cocktail stand out. Despite the absence of Sour Apple Pucker, this drink retains the green apple flavor that the Appletini is known for, thanks to the super smooth apple vodka.
Can you make more than one?
Yes! This recipe is simple to make in bulk. Simply multiply the ingredients by the number of cocktails desired and shake vigorously in an extra-large shaker.
When was Appletini popular?
It was created during the time when cocktail historian and Imbibe! Before the craft cocktail revolution that brought back the Old Fashioned and its ilk, author David Wondrich describes the 1990s as “the death throes of the artificial drinks.” More than two decades later, the drink has completely fallen out of favor.
Easy Appletini Recipe
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 4 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
Description
This Appletini is a four-ingredient sour apple drink that takes less than two minutes to prepare.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce apple juice
- 1/4 ounce lemon juice
- 1 1/4 ounces green apple schnapps
- 1 1/2 ounces vodka
- ice
- green apple slices (optional)
- lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- In a shaker, combine the apple juice and lemon juice. Fill the shaker halfway with water and shake it vigorously. Fill the shaker halfway with ice and add the green apple schnapps and vodka. Cap the shaker and give it a good shake.
- Fill a martini glass halfway with the strained cocktail. If preferred, serve with lemon juice-brushed green apple slices as a garnish.
Notes
none
- Category: Drinks
- Method: None
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 258kcal
- Sugar: 19.8g
- Sodium: 6.4mg
- Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 24.4g
- Protein: 0.1g
Keywords: easy appletini, appletini cocktail, appletini recipe, appletini cocktail drink recipe, appletini drinks
More recipes to try:
- Easy Appletini (Sour Apple Martini) Recipe
- Apple Martini Recipe: How to Make It
- Appletini Cocktail Recipe