Washington Apple Martini
What I Love About My Washington Apple Cocktail
This one earns a permanent spot on my fall bar cart because it’s a grown-up version of the bar shot I’ve ordered for years, and I never get tired of that sweet apple and tart cranberry combination.
- Four ingredients and five minutes are all this takes, so it’s my answer when friends show up before I’ve planned a whole cocktail menu.
- I keep the whiskey and schnapps front and center rather than letting the soda take over, so every sip still tastes like a real cocktail.
- You can batch the whiskey, schnapps, and cranberry juice ahead of time and add the fizz right before pouring, which saves real time at a party.
- For a Halloween or Thanksgiving bar, this pours a deep ruby red without a drop of food coloring.
- Depending on who I’m serving, I dial the sweetness up or down just by swapping in more or less cranberry juice.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredient Notes
- Crown Royal (Canadian whisky): I reach for regular Crown Royal here, though Crown Royal Apple is a good pick if you want even more of that fruit flavor. Any smooth Canadian whisky works as a stand-in.
- Sour apple schnapps (pucker): this bright green liqueur is the source of the cocktail’s apple-candy flavor. DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker is the bottle you’ll see most often, though any sour apple schnapps on the shelf works just as well.
- Cranberry juice: cranberry juice cocktail is the sweeter, more balanced option here, while 100% cranberry juice is the tarter one, so the choice comes down to how sweet you want the final drink.
- Lemon-lime soda: a splash of lemon-lime soda like 7 Up is all you need at the end for fizz. Club soda or ginger ale are good swaps if you want something less sweet.
How to Make Washington Apple Martini
- Chill your glass. Fill a martini glass with ice water while you prep everything else, then dump it out right before pouring so the drink stays cold longer.
- Combine and shake. Add the Crown Royal, sour apple schnapps, and cranberry juice to a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes, then shake until it’s ice cold.
- Add the fizz. Pour in the splash of 7 Up and swirl gently instead of shaking again, so the carbonation doesn’t fall flat.
- Strain and garnish. Strain into your chilled martini glass and finish with an apple slice or a maraschino cherry.
- PRO TIP: I like to soak my apple slice garnish in a little lemon juice first, so it doesn’t brown before you take your first sip.
Ways to Serve This Washington Apple Cocktail
Serve it in a chilled martini or coupe glass with a fresh apple slice on the rim for the classic look.
- Rim the glass with cinnamon sugar instead of plain sugar if you’re pouring this at a Halloween or Thanksgiving party.
- Batch it into a pitcher and serve over ice in a punch bowl with extra apple slices floating on top when you need a crowd-sized version.
- Pair it with something salty, like a cheese board or spiced nuts, to play off all that sweet-tart flavor.
- Browse my cocktail recipes collection for more fall whiskey drinks if you’re building out a full bar for a party.
Washington Apple Martini Recipe FAQs
Canadian whisky is the classic choice, and Crown Royal is the most common bottle behind the bar. For an extra layer of apple flavor, Crown Royal Apple is a good pick, and other Canadian whisky or even bourbon works in a pinch, though the flavor shifts toward something sweeter and more caramel-forward.
Combine the whiskey, schnapps, and cranberry juice in a pitcher or airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 to 3 days, then add the splash of 7 Up right before serving so the drink stays fizzy.
Yes. Replace the whiskey and schnapps with equal parts apple juice or apple cider and keep the cranberry juice and splash of 7 Up the same. It won’t taste identical to the boozy version, but it keeps that same sweet-tart apple and cranberry combination.
This usually comes down to the cranberry juice. Use 100% cranberry juice rather than cranberry juice cocktail to cut back on the sugar for a noticeably tarter drink, and ease up on the schnapps by half an ounce too.
A martini or coupe glass is the classic choice, but this drink also works well over ice in a rocks glass or halved into a shot glass if you want the original bar version.
The cocktail is named for Washington State’s apple industry and became a bar and restaurant staple in the 1990s and 2000s as a shot, before bartenders started serving it as a full martini. A specific origin story about the drink’s invention circulates widely online, but food writers who have looked into it haven’t been able to verify it, so it’s worth treating as bar folklore rather than documented history.
More Recipes From Me
- Apple Cider Martini
- Old Fashioned with Bourbon
- Whiskey Sour, Two Ways
- Hot Toddy Cocktail Recipe
- Peach Bourbon Smash
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Washington Apple Martini Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Crown Royal you can also use apple Crown
- 2 1/4 oz sour apple schnapps
- 3 oz cranberry juice
- Splash of 7 Up
Instructions
- Combine Crown, schnapps, cranberry juice and a couple of ice cubes. Shake well.
- Add a splash of 7 Up and gently swirl.
- Strain into a martini glad and enjoy!
Notes
- Whiskey swap: any smooth Canadian whisky works if you don’t have Crown Royal on hand.
- Less sweet version: use 100% cranberry juice instead of cranberry juice cocktail for a tarter drink.
- Keep the fizz: add the 7 Up last and swirl instead of shaking, so it doesn’t go flat.
- Make-ahead tip: batch the whiskey, schnapps, and cranberry juice up to 2 to 3 days ahead and refrigerate; add the soda fresh when serving.
Nutrition
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All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Ive made these. They are delicious 😋
Mmmm yea, it’s been my night cap all weekend 😉