It Isn't Easy Being Green

Recently, I wanted to mix a green cocktail for St. Patrick's day.  I'm not much of a beer person, not even green beer (except with Buffalo Wings - Bass Ale and wings are delish).

My new 101 Martini's book had several green cocktails, but I didn't have most of the ingredients on hand, and with the in-laws due to arrive any minute for Corned Beef and Cabbage, no time to run out.  I live in the sticks anyway, it would have taken too long.

I decided to bring up the bottle of Pucker Sour Apple schnapps I had in the basement, and try a Green Apple Martini.  Wow, was that Sour!  I don't think I even finished that drink.  My husband was carrying it around for a bit later in the evening, but he didn't finish it either.  My martini book suggests using the juice of Granny Smith apples to make a drink, but don't own a vegetable juicer, and it seems rather frivolous to buy one just to make martini ingredients.

If you like sour, and and semi-apple flavor, here's the recipe:

2 oz Pucker Sour Apple

2 oz Vodka

1 oz Sour Mix

(I used a fresh sour mix if 1/2 lemon juice, and 1/2 simple syrup)

A few days later, still in a "green" mood, I decided to pick up some kiwi juice while at the grocery store.  It had a pretty picture of a sliced kiwi on the front, but I didn't spend a lot of time reading the label, just tossed in the cart and sped along my way. I had a big list, after all, and only an hour to get it done and home.

Turns out, the kiwi juice was a superjuice blended smoothie (read more about it here).  It contained kiwi, apple, grape and pineapple juices (with you so far) but also some veggie juices like broccoli and kale. (insert 'ew' face here).  I decided to go ahead and try it as a mixer anyway - maybe I could claim it was a  healthy martini?

2 oz Green Machine juice

2 oz vodka

1 oz Triple Sec

1 oz simple syrup

squeeze of lime

Thanks to the veggie's in the juice blend, the end result was a bit off-putting.  The shade of green was rather dark, and thick looking, which for my Mango Maritini's is a good thing.  Here, uh, not so much.  "Looks like snot" was my first impression.  "Looks like something from the garbage" was my husband's first impression.  We each took a few sips, and decided it actually tasted pretty good, but it had a strange after-taste that was not something easily describable nor desirable.

Oh well.  Still on the hunt for something green.  I'm thinking next I'll try pureeing kiwi's and see what I can do with that.