“Molecular mixology” was nonexistent in the 1990s. No one owned a rotovap or was turning cocktails into jellies, powders or foams. The closest a given bar came to a laboratory was in the creation of infusions. Turning up their noses at the industrially produced flavored vodkas that were flooding the market at the time, precocious bartenders took matters into their own hands, personally loading their spirits with herbs or fruit or spices. At C3 in Greenwich Village, for example, Julie Reiner was filling demijohns of rum and vodka with pineapples and apples, and converting the results into mixed drinks like the C3 Apple Martini, a more natural and sophisticated twist on the then-ubiquitous Appletini.
C3 Apple Martini
Julie Reiner, C3 | New York, 1998
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 2 ounces apple-infused vodka (see Editor's Note)
- 1 ounce Martinelli’s sparkling cider
- 1/2 ounce apple liqueur, preferably Berentzen
Garnish: apple slice
Directions
- Rinse cocktail glass with the liqueur.
- Add vodka to a mixing tin and shake with ice.
- Strain into rinsed cocktail glass.
- Top with sparkling cider.
- Garnish with an apple slice.
Editor's Note
Apple-Infused Vodka:
To make vodka, infuse a one liter bottle of vodka with eight Granny Smith apples cut into 1-inch cubes in a non-reactive container. Cover and store in the refrigerator for a week, stirring once a day. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard apples. Infusion will keep for three weeks in the refrigerator.