An Apple-tini a Day

So we’re going to take a break from our flavored vodka unit for an autumn-themed post. I like to keep my drinks seasonal. This means that during the fall, I almost exclusively drink pumpkin spiced lattes in the morning and apple-tinis as part of my late night festivities. In its October issue, the Food Network Magazine recently published an article called “An Apple a Day” which included 31 recipes -- one for each day in October -- that called for apples. Here is my own version – a different original apple-tini recipe for every day of the week. Enjoy!

Sunday -- Apple Pie à la Mode
1 ½ oz Pinnacle Whipped vodka
Splash of sour apple schnapps (try Lady Velvet)
Dash of real whipped cream
2 oz apple cider

Also needed: 1 Graham cracker, cinammon

This is my newest original recipe, and I don’t want to brag or anything, but it’s fantastic. First, pound a Graham cracker into fine crumbs. Rim cocktail glass with cracker crumbs. (You can do this by first dipping the rim of the glass into a shallow bowl of cider. The crumbs will stick to the moist rim.) Combine vodka, sour apple schnapps, cider and real whipped cream in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into rimmed glass. The result will be a creamy apple-flavored concoction – think cold vanilla ice cream melting on warm apple pie. The Graham cracker crumbs serve as the crust. Further garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Monday -- Candy Apple Martini
1 oz Skyy vodka
1 oz DeKuyper ButterShots
1 oz apple juice
1 oz cranberry juice

This has been my signature fall recipe for the past two years. This drink tastes like a smooth, sugary caramel apple and is red in color. Shake ingredients with ice and strain.

Tuesday -- Jack Sparrow’s Treasure
1 ½ oz Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
¾ oz Goldschlager cinnamon schnapps
4 oz apple cider

Also needed: Cubed apples and a cinnamon stick

I live in Disney. It was only a matter of time before I started naming my drinks after Disney characters. (Not to mention that I ride Pirates of the Caribbean at least once a week.) Also, Goldschlager contains real flecks of gold, gold = treasure …you see how I got the name. Combine ingredients in a high ball glass with ice and a few pieces of apple cut into cube-like shapes. Speed shake and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Wednesday -- Cran-Apple-tini
1 ½ oz Finlandia Cranberry vodka
¾ oz DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker
1 ¾ oz cranberry juice

This makes a great Thanksgiving Day cocktail and was inspired by the Boston Basher at Jellyrolls on the Boardwalk. Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Real cranberries on a cocktail skewer make a great garnish.

Thursday -- Apple Gingersnap
1 ½ oz Skyy Ginger vodka
¾ oz DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker
1 ¾ oz apple cider

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a dash of whipped cream and a mini gingersnap cookie. Optional sugar rim.

Friday -- Forbidden Fruit
1 ½ oz Smirnoff Green Apple Twist
¾ oz PAMA pomegranate liqueur
1 ¾ oz cranberry juice

Apple and pomegranate are probably my two favorite cocktail flavors. The name is a reference to both the Garden of Eden and the myth of Persephone, whose consumption of pomegranate seeds forced her to return to the underworld. (I was a Religious Studies major. I am also a dork.) Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh green apple wheel.

Saturday -- Caramel Apple Cider
1 ½ oz Bacardi Big Apple rum
¾ oz DeKuyper ButterShots
1 ¾ oz apple cider

Lace a cocktail glass with caramel sauce. Do this by taking a spoonful of caramel and drizzling it over the cocktail glass so that there are caramel swirls around the sides. Combine rum, butterscotch schnapps, and cider in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into caramel-coated glass. Garnish with an apple wedge dipped in caramel.

Bubble-licious

October is upon us, meaning that for the next month, any drink I make will either be orange colored or candy flavored. In that case, it seems like the perfect time to discuss Three Olives Bubble vodka.

I'm not a big fan of bubblegum flavored anything. I never used my quarters to buy gum balls as a child, I always avoid the Jelly Belly Bubblegum jelly beans, and I refuse to allow bubblegum flavored toothpaste in my mouth, even at the dentist's office. That being said, I wasn't in any rush to try Three-O's Bubble. But I received a bottle as a gift this summer, and, being the good little mixologist that I am, I decided to play around with it.

The first thing I did was default to The Intoxicologist, which is my favorite drinking blog and everything I could ever hope My Mid-Morning Martini could be. As expected, Cheri Loughlin did not disappoint, and set me in the right direction, especially when she suggested combining Bubble with cranberry juice and peach schnapps.

The Woo-woo is a somewhat old-fashioned drink that I learned to make in bartending class. It gained popularity in the 80s during the advent of the liqueur and is comprised of 1 1/2 oz vodka, 3/4 oz peach schnapps, and 4 oz cranberry juice -- basically a Sex on the Beach without the OJ. Here's my variation of the Woo-woo, using bubblegum vodka instead of regular.

Bubblemania
1 1/2 oz Three Olives Bubble
3/4 oz Peach Schnapps
1 1/2 oz Cranberry juice

Shake with ice and strain ingredients into a chilled cocktail glass. I use less cranberry juice than the traditional Woo-woo since this makes the drink stronger and turns it a soft pink color, as opposed to red. In this way, it looks that way you'd expect a bubblegum flavored drink to taste. The Intoxicologist recipe calls for Club Soda, but I think this waters down the taste of the vodka.

My friend Michele makes a signature drink she calls the Jolly Rancher. It consists of three basic ingredients -- vodka, club soda, and a fruity liqueur such as DeKuyper Watermelon or Sour Apple Pucker. By substituting bubblegum flavored vodka, you can turn the Jolly Rancher into the Blow Pop, perfect for a Halloween or back-to-your-childhood themed party.

Sour Apple Blow Pop
1 1/2 oz Three Olives Bubble
3/4 DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker
1 1/2 oz Sprite

Watermelon Blow Pop
1 1/2 oz Three Olives Bubble
3/4 oz DeKuyper Watermelon Pucker
1 1/2 oz Sprite

Shake vodka and liqueur with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top off with chilled Sprite. (I use Sprite instead of Club Soda for the extra sugar factor, since Blow Pops are significantly sweeter than Jolly Ranchers.)

In keeping with the Blow Pop theme, Bubble also mixes well with grape soda (1 part vodka to 2 parts soda) and in either cherry or watermelon Jell-O shots (following the recipe on the box and using refrigerated vodka instead of cold water).

Also, since October is breast cancer awareness month and the Gloria Gemma Flames of Hope Waterfire is almost here, here's a celebratory pink cocktail to finish things off. For my Christmas punch, I've always loved combining vodka, cranberry juice and champagne (or ginger ale, if you want less alcohol. Here's the same recipe with a Bubble-y twist:

Bit O' Bubbly
1 part Three Olives Bubble
1 part dry champagne
2 parts cranberry juice

Keep ingredients refrigerated before hand, then combine in a champagne flute. Adjust proportions if needed to achieve a light pink hue.