Appletini (Sour Apple Martini)

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (57 ratings)
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    Appletini (Sour Apple Martini)

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Serve in a Martini glass

Ingredients:
1 2⁄3 oz Ketel One Vodka
3⁄4 oz Sour apple liqueur
1⁄6 oz Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup)
1⁄6 oz Lime cordial (sweetened lime juice)
1⁄6 oz Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1⁄6 oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Martini glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of drop Luxardo Maraschino Cherry into cocktail &/or float thin apple slice/dehydrated apple slice.
  3. SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  4. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 6/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 6/10
More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile
Cocktail of the day:

4th July 2025 is 20 best cocktails for Independence Day

Review:

This "Martini" is unashamedly fun and brash with lurid green apple liqueur at its 'core'.

View readers' comments

Variant:

A simplified version is made with 45ml (1½oz) vodka, 45ml (1½oz) sour apple liqueur, and 22.5ml (¾oz) lime cordial, with some bars using sour mix in place of the lime cordial.

Split Apple Martini - calvados, vodka, apple juice and bianco americano.
Calvados Appletini - calvados, apple juice, lemon juice and sugar syrup.
Big Apple Sour Martini - vodka, calvados, apple juice, lemon juice and sugar syrup.
Big Apple Martini - gin, vodka, bianco vermouth, calvados, sour apple liqueur, and apple juice.
Apple Martini (simple) - vodka, gin, apple juice and sugar syrup.
Apple Martini (with apple schnapps) - vodka, gin, apple schnapps and apple juice.
Toffee Apple Martini - calvados, vodka, gin, sour apple liqueur, caramel toffee liqueur and apple juice.

History:

Unlike the origins of so many cocktails, the date when this altern'atini was created and by whom is remembered by those involved and has been widely reported. It was the Fourth of July 1996 when Loren "Lola" Dunsworth, owner of Lola's in West Hollywood was encouraged to include a Ketel One signature Martini on her restaurant's cocktail list by a representative from Ketel One Vodka. Boasting one of L.A.'s first extensive Martini menus, Lola's, which sat at 945 N. Fairfax Avenue in West Hollywood, opened in July 1996 and closed 8th August 2013.

Seeing a bottle of DeKuyper Pucker Sour Apple Liqueur on the back bar, Lola asked bartender Adam Karston to make a cocktail with this and Ketel One. He mixed equal parts Ketel One and Pucker liqueur with a splash of house-made sweet-and-sour mix. The result, "Adam's Apple Martini" was an instant hit and under its simplified name, the "Appletini", quickly became hugely popular across North America in the Noughties earning it contemporary classic status and a place in our Cocktail Hall of Fame.

At Lola's, they garnished their Appletinis with slices of Granny Smith apple marinated in iced lemon juice mixed with water to keep fresh. In other bars, the attractive colour contrast and ease of simply dropping a maraschino cherry into the drink led to this becoming the more usual garnish. In recent years, floating a dehydrated apple slice has become popular.

Nutrition:

One serving of Appletini (Sour Apple Martini) contains 174 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.2 standard drinks
  • 18.59% alc./vol. (18.59° proof)
  • 17.2 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 7 comments for Appletini (Sour Apple Martini).
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Loïc Pierre’s Avatar Loïc Pierre
22nd December 2024 at 17:14
Another recipe of appletini without apple liqueur is the following: 2 oz vodka - 1,5 oz apple juice - 1/3 lemon juice - 1/3 maple syrup. Shake and strain in a chilled empty glass. Didn't find a closest version of this recipe on the Difford'a so I post it here. Cheers !
1
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Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
23rd December 2024 at 11:32
Thanks for sharing, Loïc.
1
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Calvin Grant’s Avatar Calvin Grant
23rd October 2024 at 00:56
Just made with 7.5ml ea lemon juice, lime juice, and rich syrup; the Sour Apple Pucker and Tanqueray export strength. Was quite nice.
1
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Avery Garnett’s Avatar Avery Garnett
4th May 2024 at 17:42
This was on my list for the Hall of Fame challenge and...I simply was not going to buy a bottle of sour apple liqueur just for this - which means this comment probably is a little "you made a different drink" - but using apple schnapps and some acid-adjuster solution (citric acid + water) and a little spray of absinthe...it makes a very tasty, sour apple drink. Probably not the same as the infamous appletini, but it's there in spirit.
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Yossi Burg’s Avatar Yossi Burg
21st December 2023 at 10:09
I've used this formula using Reyka vodka with Luxardo Sour Apple previously- and it's bright and zingy with perfect balance of sour ad sweet- also made using Zubrowka Bison Grass vodka (like just now) - if you haven't , then give it a shake- nicely rounded floral notes along with the sour and sweet. Same ratio Horatio and it's a winner winner chicken dinner.
1
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Dan Casselman’s Avatar Dan Casselman
6th June 2022 at 00:22
Compared this side by side to the recipe that I have been using and I like this one better. Although the other one had Citron Vodka and small amount of Cointreau it seemed weak against all the lime, Cordial, and lemon. But I prefer using Crown Royal Apple to any of these, it rocks. (7 of 8 of “Her Maj’s” Difford cocktails for the Jubilee)
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Stephen Murray’s Avatar Stephen Murray
13th March 2021 at 10:01
We all have our guilty pleasures, some of mine are David Lynch's Dune, Tabac and the Appletini. I made a batch the other night and tried an absinth rince on the last one. This lifted the drink to another level of complexity, less liquid Jolly Rancher and more a drink standing on the steps of the exclusive Last Word club and daring itself to knock.
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Kjell Eriksson’s Avatar Kjell Eriksson
26th April 2020 at 16:43
A full centiliter of Cane Syrup makes quite a difference – to the positive.
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Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
27th April 2020 at 12:44
Agreed. I've amended the recipe above accordingly. Thanks for the feedback.
2
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