Gonar's Drink of the Month

Gentle Drinker,

As was predicted in last month's column, the final chapter of a Minneapolis music legend has been written, and the Uptown Bar closed it's doors for the last time on Sunday night. I was there for the last call, and while I would like to try and explain the whole experience, you just had to be there. That night was easily the most fun night in a bar I have ever had in my life.

And now it's November, and the moon is already on the wane. November is a month of harvest, a time to bring in the apples and potatoes, the corn and the beans, to twist the head off a turkey and roast it up real good with a nice dry riesling. But the dry riesling is not our topic today (although I will refer you to Pacific Rim Dry Riesling for Thanksgiving Day, at least that's what I'll be drinking). No, our drink this month incorporates the flavor of those wonderful apples with the lovely intoxicating effects of vodka. Say hello to the Appletini!

I will admit that the appletini is a bit outside of the style of drink I usually cover. Too trendy and girly, you might say. Trendy, oh yes, it certainly was trendy a couple summers ago, but be brave and look past that and you may find that this drink still has meritous qualities. And girly, yes, even by the androgenous standards of Gonar, but perhaps that is the point.

It can be made many ways, but the main idea is to take some appley stuff like apple cider or an Appletini product like Apple Pucker, and mix it with an equal part vodka, which always goes well with anything fruity. Add a splash of sour mix and shake it up in a martini shaker, pour it into a martini glass, drink and repeat. You can play with the sweetness of it by substituting 7-UP or ginger ale for the sour mix.

A relatively modern drink, the appletini was probably created sometime in the seventies. And what did people like to do in the seventies, besides disco dancing and combing their hair? That's right, they liked to screw. And that's where the appletini comes in. Gentlemen, if you want to get the intimate attention of that special apple in your orchard, serve up a batch of these
things and let me tell you, the Appletini is a guaranteed panty-dropper. The first one has a little bit of a sour taste to it, the second not so much, and after that they go down her throat as easily as pouring them down the drain.

So baby, here we go...

In a cocktail shaker, mix
1 shot vodka
1/2 shot sour mix OR 7-UP
and
1 shot Apple Pucker OR 1 shot quality apple cider

Pour it into a martini glass and let the fun begin!

Stay warm. See you in December.

Gonar