Apple martini

Fill a cocktail shaker about halfway with ice cubes.

Pour the vodka, green apple schnapps, Cointreau (or triple sec) and lemon juice into the cocktail shaker.

Cover the shaker and shake vigorously for about 15-20 seconds, or until the outside of the shaker becomes frosty.

Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass. Serve immediately

Garnish with a slice of green apple. Serve immediately

Tips and variations

• For an alternative, consider substituting the apple schnapps with a sweet one such as Apfelkorn.
• Ensure the cocktail is thoroughly aerated and chilled by shaking it for a full 20 seconds.
• The sour version might be rather tart, so the addition of simple syrup is recommended.
• If utilising apple slices for garnish, it's important to brush them with lemon juice to prevent discolouration.
• For a variation, consider a 'rumpletini', replacing the vodka with light rum.
• Those desiring a stronger vodka martini might omit the lemon juice and instead pour equal parts sour apple pucker and vodka.
• If a less sweet cocktail is preferred, one could adjust the quantity of apple juice accordingly.
• Replacing the green apple schnapps with green apple vodka results in a less sweet apple flavour. 
• To increase sweetness, one might reduce or omit the lemon juice, replacing it with additional apple juice or cider.
• For a variation reminiscent of a caramel apple, consider adding caramel sauce to the glass or replacing the plain vodka with caramel vodka.
• For a hint of cinnamon, replace the plain vodka with cinnamon vodka, or add a dash of cinnamon schnapps.

How to serve it 

To add a special touch to your apple martini, consider garnishing it with a thin slice of green apple (be sure to leave the peel on for colour). To prevent browning, coat both sides of the slice with lemon juice before floating it on top of the drink or placing it over the rim of the glass. For a more decorative presentation, try creating an apple fan by using cocktail sticks to hold together half slices. Once you've strained your drink into a chilled cocktail glass, place the apple fan on top. To really impress your guests, rim the glass with coarse green sugar. Simply coat the rim in lemon juice and then dip it into a plate of sugar.

History

In the July 1972 edition of Playboy, Smirnoff placed a prominent advert on the inside front cover for a drink they dubbed Adam’s apple. The recipe was quite straightforward – add a measure of Smirnoff to a glass of apple juice. Smirnoff was likely hoping it would gain popularity in the way the equally simple Moscow mule (vodka and ginger beer) had done in the 1940s but was also hopefully establishing that the recipe required Smirnoff specifically.

The apple martini had a resurgence when it was reinvented during the July 4th weekend, 1997, by Adam Karsten, a barman at Lola’s –  a restaurant in West Hollywood, Los Angeles. Lola’s proprietor, Loren Dunsworth, was looking for a way to shift some surplus stock of Ketel One vodka and apple schnapps, neither of which were selling particularly well until Adam Karsten blended them and created what he called Adam’s apple martini, which later became the widely known appletini. It was Dunsworth’s idea to garnish it with a slice of granny smith apple that had been steeped in lemon juice.