Brat summer has slowly slipped away into demure fall, but there’s still one club classic looking ahead to her comeback story. The appletini, in all her lowbrow glory, brings a tart and juicy flavor that’s all too often misunderstood.
I’ve spotted an uptick in appletinis on menus this summer, and its recent resurrection alongside Charli XCX’s sixth studio album just makes sense: It’s aligned in signature color and reputation proceeding it, and that feral it-girl factor (complimentary) serves the appletini well. A viral chef and recipe developer went as far as crowning this autumn as “appletini season,” but let’s start by investigating its rise thus far.
Most agree that its lore can be traced back to a Los Angeles restaurant in the late ’90s, where the schnapps-laden Apple Martini was first born. As far as nostalgic cocktails go, this tart-and-sweet little ‘tini has since been sidelined in favor of more cosmopolitan favorites. (Read: It didn’t quite receive the “Sex and the City” star treatment, unlike its cranberry counterpart made famous by the series.)
While influencers snapped low-lit pics of their pillowy espresso martinis — another ’90s return — all last year, the appletini waited patiently in the wings. Perhaps the neon-green hue of the green apple liqueur doesn’t mesh well with a curated Instagram presence, or bargoers can’t stand a flavor profile that checks all the right boxes for a fresh 21-year-old’s palette. More likely than not, you remember this drink sloshing around in a plastic cup and paired with a thumping background of synth bass, rather than its proper serve in a martini glass.
Resident #FoodTok darling Meredith Hayden, aka Wishbone Kitchen, recently introduced us to her upscale spin on the 365-party-girl cocktail, which might just be the push the appletini needs to stick around. In a September video, the private chef-turned-content creator walked viewers through a high-effort, high-reward build. For starters, it does include a batch of homemade juice — a quick labor of love that she deems the “secret” to avoiding that notorious neon green.
“A well-crafted appletini is ‘chef’s kiss,'” she shares. “The secret to a good appletini is fresh apple juice. How do you get fresh apple juice, you might ask? I blended up an apple in my blender.” (You’ll want to employ a fine mesh strainer to keep your cocktail from reaching applesauce territory.)
Elderflower liqueur, such as St-Germain, and a pear element are also non-negotiables here. Consider the pear-flavored Grey Goose La Poire, which Hayden recommends, or Absolut Pears.
When trying my hand at Hayden’s recipe, though, I couldn’t track down a pear-flavored vodka in my vicinity. You might have more luck (and a more comprehensive spirit selection) in your zip code — but even if you do, I’d be willing to bet you’re not ready to sink $30 into a specialty bottle. To that end, I’m proposing a (very mindful) low-lift workaround with a quick pear simple syrup that comes together in 20 minutes.
Hayden then adds the liqueur, vodka, apple brandy, apple juice, lemon juice and ice to a cocktail shaker and continues by shakin’ that until the liquid’s aerated and well-chilled. She strains it into a martini glass before adding a thin apple slice.
I felt inclined to queue up Charli XCX’s “Apple” — a characteristically upbeat song that appears to touch on generational trauma but which TikTok has, naturally, co-opted into a dance trend — at the moment of tasting. Results? I’m thrilled (yet not surprised) to confirm that Hayden’s version stands just as delicious as the original, with a rounded-out fruit flavor that levels up the arguably one-dimensional character of a classic appletini. Between the alcohol content and sugary syrup, though, it’s truly better to pace yourself with slow sips — but I’d say it’s otherwise difficult to go wrong here.
Still not convinced? Maybe it’s time to work it out on the remix.
Nicolette Baker is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, NY. Her expertise lies primarily in food, drink, and fashion media, but she enjoys covering all aspects of lifestyle with an accessible approach. She’s written for Food & Wine, Byrdie, Business Insider, VinePair, and Flourish.