For Hopkinton St. Patrick's Day: Green Apple Martinis

With St. Patrick's Day around the corner, you may be wondering what to serve. Specialty martinis and bubbly creative cocktails make any themed party a hit.

There are many ways to serve a cocktail: stirred on the rocks, shaken, or stirred straight up.

A martini shaker works for all methods. You can find cocktail shakers in many specialty, home or department stores. The stainless-steel varieties work well because they come with a strainer, which decreases the amount of spillage.

For margaritas or other specialty drinks, make sure you have a trustworthy blender on hand and fire it up!  Here are some of my favorite cocktails to serve at themed parties: Margaritas on the rocks, Mojitos, Bellinis and Green Apple Martinis.

For a St. Patrick's Day event, a Green Apple Martini may be the perfect choice (in addition to Guiness of course!)

A creative and time-saving way to serve martinis for a large group is to set up a martini bar.

 The idea is to set up a separate area designed to allow guests to make their own martinis. Fill a bowl of green apple martini mixture (alcohol included) in a large punch bowl and set it in the middle of the table. On the sides, set out martini glasses, shakers, and an ice bucket.

Guests can enjoy creating their own martini masterpieces - allowing the hostess more time for socializing.

Suggestions

- Prepare sliced apples and place on table for garnish.

- Time permitting, pre-rim martini glasses with cinnamon & sugar mixture, or a pre-mixed Apple Martini Rimmer.

- As guests are mixing their martinis ask them to recite their favorite Irish poem or joke. Example: "Why should you never iron a 4-leaf clover? You don't want to press your luck."

Green Apple Martini Recipe (single martini)

- Cinnamon and sugar for rimming glasses (can use pre-mixed apple martini rimmer)

- 5-tablespoons vodka

- 5-tablespoons sour apple schnapps

- 5-tablespoons lemonade

- 5 tablespoons lemon-lime soda, (7-Up or Sprite)

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine vodka, schnapps, lemonade and lemon-lime soda. Cover and shake vigorously. Dip martini glass edge in a shallow dish with 1/4-inch water with equal amounts of cinnamon & sugar. Strain mixture and pour into glass. Serve with apple slices as garnish.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!