“I’m taking you back to the 1990s,” says Ramsey Musk of his Apple Martini. But unlike the cloying construction prevalent in the drink’s heyday, this version calls on a clarified Granny Smith cordial, paired with pear eau de vie and a split base of vodka and gin. “It’s crystal-clear,” says Musk, “but it tastes like you’re biting into a fresh Granny Smith.”
Apple Martini
Ramsey Musk | Los Angeles
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1 1/2 ounces vodka, preferably Grey Goose
- 1 ounce clarified sour apple cordial (see Editor’s Note)
- 1/2 ounce gin, preferably Fords
- 1 teaspoon pear eau de vie, preferably Clear Creek or St. George pear brandy
- 1/2 teaspoon basil eau de vie (optional)
- 2 dashes white balsamic vinegar
Garnish: cocktail cherry
Directions
- Add ingredients to one half of a two-piece cocktail shaker containing ice.
- Throw the mixture by pouring it from the tin with ice into the second tin to aerate the drink.
- Strain into a Nick & Nora glass.
- Garnish with a cherry directly in the glass.
Editor's Note
Clarified Sour Apple Cordial
Using a juicer, feed Granny Smith apples into the machine, then pass the juice through a fine-mesh strainer, then through a coffee filter. The juice will be cloudy at first, but when it starts to run clear, transfer the strainer to a new container to collect the clear juice. Add the cloudy juice back to the strainer until it, too, is clear. Weigh the clarified juice and add 40 percent of its weight in sugar to a saucepan. Add half of the juice and stir over low heat just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add the remaining juice. Weigh the juice-sugar mixture and add, by weight, 3 percent malic acid, 0.5 percent ascorbic acid and 1.5 percent citric acid.
NB: If a juicer isn’t available, or you are pressed for time, use store-bought 100 percent apple juice, such as Martinelli’s. Just make sure there is no sediment or anything cloudy in the juice.