Drinky-Drink

Sour Apple Martini

1 oz. vodka

1 oz. sour apple schnapps

2 oz. sour mix

Mix ingredients together in a cocktail shaker and chill. Strain and serve in a martini glass.

“Sex in the City” catapulted the sweet-flavored cosmopolitan to fame. Many hipsters wanted to toast glasses of the pink liquid, and bartenders quickly took note. Professionals in the liquor industry began searching for another chic, girly drink with the same winning qualities, and many of these searches ended with the apple martini. Apple have always been ideal for fall festivities, and many party-goers have adopted sour apple martinis as this season’s cocktail.

Apple martinis come in many different varieties, and different drinkers all have their favorites. Try adding a splash of cranberry juice to make a Red Apple Martini, or a dash of Cointreau orange liqueur or Absolute Citron to give the drink a fruitier spin. For simple mixing in the dorm room, half vodka and half sour apple schnapps can be substituted. Harvard students may have a special weakness for Sour Apple Martinis, simply because the drink finds a home on the menus of many Square bars, including Grafton Street, Daedalus and Redline.

At Grafton Street, Paul Barry, the self-proclaimed “Best Bartender in Boston,” makes his drinks unique by adding Midori—a melon-flavored sweet liquor—and Apple Pucker. He recommends using Pucker as the apple liquor “because it has the best apple flavor” as well as “a very nice color.” The drinks at Grafton are garnished with cherries or festive apple peel, but a sugar-rimmed glass can detract a little from the tartness. Bartenders at Grafton opt for a strong sour mix, making their drinks quite tart. The effect creates a taste reminiscent of bright green blowpops. Barry thinks the drink makes a particularly good aperitif—or after-dinner drink—as well as a good accompaniment to dessert. “It is a little too sweet to complement a meal,” he says. So if fall brings memories of Granny Smiths and apple pies, try one of the many apple martinis on a chilly evening and experience the joys of the season without having to haul all the way out to the apple orchard.