The Apple Vodka Martini – crisp, sweet and easy to make

This Apple Vodka 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!

About the Apple Vodka 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.

Alongside our recent obsession with artisanally-crafted food lies a similar agenda pertaining to alcohol and cocktails. Bespectacled waistcoated “mixologists” muddle and mash their concoctions, creating original recipes with things like molé-infused bitters and bacon-flavoured bourbon. No matter how much Earl Grey syrup and hibiscus are swizzled into coupe glasses … there are some cocktails that cannot and will not ever go out of style.

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 a site which no longer exists, but at the time I found the information, it agreed 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-dot-info / author and date not noted / site no longer live at May 2025

A word about ingredients

Locally sourced ingredients are definitely worth tracking down if you can as they just make this Apple Vodka martini even better. I began by searching locally for Calvados, but struggled to find it. So, you can imagine how happy I was to find locally produced apple brandy.

While updating this post, I discovered that what was Charles Oates Distillery is now part of Willie Smith’s apple cider brewery and 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.

If you can’t get the Tasmanian made liqueur, then any apple liqueur or Calvados should work. It may change the flavour profile, but would still result in apple-infused deliciousness hints of vanilla and a crisp finish, thanks to the vodka.

A note about Tasmania’s Huon Valley and the Apple Isle

In years gone by, the Huon Valley was actually one of the major apple growing regions in Australia. In fact, Tasmania was know for many years as The Apple Isle due to its extensive orchards, all but which have now gone. In their place is a new breed of growers and producers, making the most of the clean air and pristine environment. Those orchards still in operation today have amazing growing conditions, making Tasmanian apples 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.

Note: Originally posted in January 2022, this post was updated in May 2025.

Now, let’s make a cocktail.

Vodka Apple Martini

Recipe by MartiCourse: Cocktail HourDifficulty: Easy

Makes

1

decent cocktail

Prep time

5

minutes

This very grown up cocktail is one to sip slowly to fully appreciate its layers of wonderful flavour.

You will need

• 50 ml good quality vodka

• 20 ml Willie Smith’s Pommeau Barrel Aged Apple Liqueur

• 10 ml Licor 43

Here’s what to do

• Add plenty of ice to a cocktail shaker. Add all ingredients and stir until well mixed and chilled.
• Pour into a martini glass, garnish with an apple wheel, then raise your glass to things that are right in the world.

Tips and tricks

• You can use any good quality Vodka. I just happened to have Belvedere to hand.
• You could try making this cocktail with Calvados or another style of apple liqueur or brandy.
• Licor 43 could be substituted with another vanilla-based liquor, such as Galliano.