This Vodka Apple Martini has apple brandy and a hint of vanilla liqueur and makes an adult drink that’s not too dry and not too sweet. Make it with the best quality ingredients you can find and drink it in moderation. It’s very boozy and will have you on your ear if you’re not careful!
Read more about how I developed this very grown up drink. Find out more about the Martini here. to the interesting history of this iconic drink.
About the Vodka Apple Martini
First of all, let me get one thing straight. This Vodka Apple Martini is in the style of a martini, although it’s not a classic Martini. The classic Martini, popular since the mid 20th Century is very dry and simply made with gin and vermouth.
Here’s a link to a great article I found on Food 52. It has one of the most evocative opening paragraphs I’ve read in a long time. Subtitled, The Murky History of America’s Classic Cocktail, it delves into some of the cocktail’s early theories.

The article’s credit goes to Food 52 contributor Leah Babha and was published on May 16, 2014.
As with many American classic cocktails, the Martini seems to have its origins in or relating to old mining towns. Here’s an excerpt from martinicocktail.info, which agrees with Leah Babha’s information.
Professor” Jerry Thomas … invented the drink at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco, sometime in the late 1850s or early 1860s. The story goes that a miner who was travelling to Martinez, California, put a gold nugget on the bar. With that, he asked bartender Jerry Thomas to mix him up something special.
martinicocktail.info / author and date not noted
A word about ingredients
Locally sourced ingredients are definitely worth tracking down if you can. So, during my search for Calvados, you can imagine how happy I was to find locally produced apple brandy.
It’s from Charles Oates Distillery, located in the Huon Valley just south of Hobart. It’s a stunning part of the world with a history that centres on Tasmania’s apple growing history.
In years gone by, the Huon Valley was actually one of the major apple growing regions in Australia. Many of these have gone, but in their place is a new breed of growers and producers. Grown in one of the world’s most pristine environments, Tasmanian apples are simply beautiful.
The history of the Huon and apples in Tasmania is a whole chapter to itself. For now, you will have to suffice with the lovely Calvados style apple brandy liqueur this producer has to offer.
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