Easy Appletini Cocktail Recipe with Just 4 Ingredients

The “appletini” is a delectable vodka-based cocktail that tantalizes your taste buds, leaving you wanting more! This easy appletini cocktail recipe will make you a drink with a delicious sweet and sour tang that is perfect for those with a very sweet tooth as well as those who want a little twist on their tongue!

If you want a fruitier flavor, use brandy or any apple liqueur. You could substitute it for apple cider or juice as well. Want to experiment a bit? Use a hint of orange juice or melon liqueur instead, but fair warning; it won’t be the typical “apple-textured” martini you are used to!

Ingredients

• 0.5 ounce green apple schnapps
• 1 ounce green apple juice
• 0.25 ounce lemon juice
• 1.5 ounces vodka
• Ice (optional)Apple slice (for garnishing)

Glassware You Will Need

• 1 cocktail jigger
• 1 cocktail shaker
• 1 cocktail strainer
• 1 martini glass

Easy Appletini Cocktail Recipe Instructions

Make the Apple Juice

• Take 5 cups of water, a quarter cup of white sugar, and 3 peels and cores from red apples (remove seeds).
• Add water with apple peels and cores in a saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and let it simmer. Keep stirring for 30 minutes.
• Strain the juice into a mixing bowl, add sugar, mix well and let it cool.

Mix the Ingredients

• Mix the apple juice and lemon juice in the shaker. Give it a firm shake.
• Add the green apple schnapps (please stick to the above mentioned measurement to achieve the desired taste), and shake again!
• Pour the vodka (I use Absolut Vodka for my cocktails), fill the shaker halfway up with ice, cap it, and give a brisk shake.
• Slowly pour the cocktail using a mesh strainer, into a martini glass.

Garnish

• Garnish with fresh apple slices and serve.
• A single cherry can be added to the drink.
• A slight twist can be added with a cinnamon stick, as the strong, warm notes of the cinnamon harmonize lusciously with the fruity apple flavors.

Storage

If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of preparing this easy appletini recipe before a party, just pre-batch it. Pour the ingredients into a bottle and refrigerate. Simply mix them in a cocktail shaker and serve.

Top Tips

• Shake, shake, shake – Bring your shaking skills to the table to whip up this appletini cocktail recipe! The more you shake, the better the texture and zesty flavor builds up, as the air gradually circulates through the drink. Check for condensation on the side of the shaker, and that’s when you know the easy appletini recipe has borne fruit…literally!
• Make proper use of the jigger – The jigger ensures you get all the measurements and ratios right. Worried you will mess up? Start with the cheapest ingredients first and work your way up. If you go wrong, just start over (don’t keep repeating though!).
• Make it sweeter – Do you find the appletini cocktail recipe too dry? Add a quarter ounce of simple syrup to make it sweeter and balance it out. Simple syrup can be made with water and sugar. Add the ingredients in a saucepan, start boiling the water, while simultaneously stirring the sugar till it dissolves. Once the sugar dissolves, cover the mixture, and let it simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Let it cool and store in the fridge in a clean jar.
• Keep the slices looking green – When you cut up the apple slices for garnishing, dip them in lemon juice to preserve the color, or else they turn brown.
• Always use fresh ingredients – It ensures cocktails taste smoother, and really brings out the flavor. Even the lemon juice should be squeezed fresh, and not poured from a bottle.
• Drink during dessert – Want to have the appletini drink for dessert? You can add vanilla liqueur to the drink while shaking. Alternatively, use butterscotch schnapps, apple cider, and top it off with tequila, for a lovely apple martini that is an apt finishing touch after a heavy meal.

What to Serve With

Vegetarian Options

• Mushrooms tossed in salt and pepper – This dish hardly takes any time, but is great to nibble on while enjoying a smooth martini as its brine component is fantastically countered by the citrusy essence of the drink. You can sprinkle a bit of lemon on the mushrooms too!
• Onion rings – Give those French fries a rest, and opt for deep fried onion rings instead. The powerful flavor of onions can be smoothly washed down by an appletini.
• Bruschetta – Lightly toasted bread baguettes topped with cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, and other veggies, are the perfect snack to start off with, before you move on to the delicious cocktail. If you wish, you can garnish the bruschetta with non-vegetarian toppings too.

Seafood

• Crab cakes – The lemony essence of crab cakes plays nicely against the tart flavor of the appletini. It is the perfect palate cleanser before the main course.
• Oysters – Oysters on the half-shell are amazing when paired with appletinis, especially if you enjoy the sudden explosion of salinity.
• Shrimp cocktail – The horseradish in shrimp cocktails adds a hint of spice that is an apt accompaniment to the sweetness of apple juice. This peppery concoction tastes wonderful as an appetizer, and is a hot favorite at parties.

Meat Pairings

• Steak tartare – If your guests are meat lovers, you can’t do without a classic steak tartare to satiate their appetites. The crispy tasting appetizer, lends a certain depth to the acidic notes of the beverage.
• Steak bites – Who says you have to serve an elaborate steak dinner all the time? You can enjoy the taste of succulent steaks in bite-sized portions while sipping on this refreshing apple cocktail! A whole steak might go better with a glass of red wine, but these exciting steak bites will spruce up the beverage’s spicy texture big time!
• Wedge salad – Don’t be quick to dismiss this salad that combines iceberg lettuce, along with crunch bacon and yummy cherry tomatoes, to form a fabulous accompaniment to the sweet apple cocktail. You can serve it with blue cheese dressing or ranch rip, to enhance its potency!

Sweet Treats

• Angel food cake skewers – Served with olives and strawberries to enhance its taste even more, this fruity concoction complements the appletini beautifully.
• Mint chocolate chip scones – The refreshing minty flavor goes incredibly well with the gooey chocolate chips, while the tarty appletini drink adds a unique twist to your palate.

Ingredient Substitutes

• Vodka – Ideally, plain vodka works well, but you can use flavored vodka too if you enjoy multi-faceted cocktails. Alternatively, you can use gin. For whiskey drinkers, there is a whiskey-based version, with the other ingredients intact.
• Green apple Schnapps – You can use sour apple schnapps in this appletini cocktail recipe if
  you want to play off the sweetness a bit. Any apple-style liqueur will work.
• Green apple juice – If green apple juice is unavailable, you can opt for apple cider instead. The apple cider is not as sweet as its juice counterpart, but offers a tangier essence.
• Lemon juice – You can skip it entirely, or use any citrusy juice like orange or pineapple.
• Apple Slices – If you feel that apple has been overused in this easy appletini recipe, go ahead use olives for garnishing.
• Serveware – It is best to serve this apple cocktail in a martini glass, but if you don’t have those, use a rocks glass and serve with ice cubes.

Variations of the cocktail

Apple Strudel Martini

Once you feel more confident about the easy appletini recipe, you can take it a step further and whip up an apple strudel martini next time. It uses apple liqueur and fresh pressed apple juice, along with a hint of cinnamon schnapps liqueur, lemon juice and simple syrup. Finish up with Absolut Vodka to give it the kick you love in apple martinis!

Appletini Mocktail

The name is a bit of a contradiction, as appletini is a cocktail, but who cares if the result is something that tastes equally marvelous? Just let go of the vodka and apple liqueur, and use apple juice, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Add ice cubes and follow the instructions as stated above. Use apple slices for garnishing, and enjoy the lip-smacking mocktail with an array of yummy snacks.

Low Sugar Appletini

If the doctor has ordered you to reduce sugar in your diet, you can still enjoy the easy appletini recipe in a low-sugar variation. Fresh apple juice in this drink is a must. You can even include Stevia, honey, or maple syrup as alternatives.

Final Thoughts

In case you are trying this appletini cocktail recipe for the very first time, it is advisable to stick
to this basic recipe, where I have used green apple juice and green apple schnapps, and
balanced it with lemon juice.

Yield: 4

Easy Appletini Cocktail Recipe by Better Sweet Drinks

Print

The “appletini” is a delectable vodka-based cocktail that tantalizes your taste buds, leaving you wanting more! With myriad variations, the stunning electric green beverage with a delicious sweet and sour tang is perfect for those with a very sweet tooth as well as those who want a little twist on their tongue!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 0.5 ounce green apple schnapps
• 1 ounce green apple juice
• 0.25 ounce lemon juice
• 1.5 ounces vodka
• Ice (optional)Apple slice (for garnishing)

Instructions

Make the Apple Juice

1. Take 5 cups of water, a quarter cup of white sugar, and 3 peels and cores from red apples (remove seeds).
2. Add water with apple peels and cores in a saucepan.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and let it simmer. Keep stirring for 30 minutes.
4. Strain the juice into a mixing bowl, add sugar, mix well and let it cool.

Mix the Ingredients

1. Mix the apple juice and lemon juice in the shaker. Give it a firm shake.
2. Add the green apple schnapps (please stick to the above mentioned measurement to achieve the desired taste), and shake again!
3. Pour the vodka (I use Absolut Vodka for my cocktails), fill the shaker halfway up with ice, cap it, and give a brisk shake.
4. Slowly pour the cocktail using a mesh strainer, into a martini glass.

Garnish

1. Garnish with fresh apple slices and serve.
2. A single cherry can be added to the drink.
3. A slight twist can be added with a cinnamon stick, as the strong, warm notes of the cinnamon harmonize lusciously with the fruity apple flavors.

Notes

If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of preparing this easy appletini recipe before a party, just pre-batch it. Pour the ingredients into a bottle and refrigerate. Simply mix them in a cocktail shaker and serve.