Easy Appletini Cocktail Recipe with Just 4 Ingredients

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!

Glassware You Will Need

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

Easy Appletini Cocktail Recipe Instructions

Use 1 ounce of chilled apple juice for one cocktail; no separate five-cup juice preparation is needed.

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 appletini cocktail 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 this 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

The sweet-tart apple flavor suits savory bites: salt and pepper mushrooms, bruschetta, crab cakes, shrimp cocktail or steak bites. For dessert, angel food cake.

Ingredient Substitutes for this Appletini Cocktail Recipe

• 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 Appletini 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.