Apple & Thyme Martini

A couple of weeks ago, Michael and I thought we had the best idea ever.  We were going to start a new tradition: Friday Night Cocktails.  The plan was that we would try a new (and hopefully lovely) cocktail every week.  And the plan was that we would do it right when he got home from work, before dinner, while pretending that we were on the set of Mad Men or something.  (We don't actually have cable, so we've only seen this show here and there while at other people's houses.  Seems quite good though.)

Anyway, after the first week (that would be the marvelous Rossini, A Venetian Cocktail) we basically tossed our new tradition over-board.  If one is going to sit down and enjoy a nice cocktail, it is best to do just that -- sit down and enjoy it -- and not be in the middle of making dinner, getting Miss Milia in the bathtub, doing dishes, folding clothes, and all the other activities that make it feel like bloody Groundhog Day over here.  Otherwise, you'll have downed half a bottle of vodka and won't know what in sam-hell is even going on anymore, and why haven't we eaten dinner?!  And what kind-of-monkey-operation is this anyway?!

And so, we changed it.  Instead, let's get the babe into bed, and then sit down with our drinks.  Nice in theory, but difficult to do when it is going on midnight and we should all just be in bed.  Now our plan is to have a nice cocktail when we darn well feel like it, so long as we aren't rushing about and can actually take a moment to notice it.

This is another great cocktail for spring.  (Would be lovely to have on a Friday evening, really, whilst sitting on the deck.  Try it and let me know how it works.)  Anyway, Michael made them and did a splendid job.  The thyme is what makes the drink;  the fragrance and the earthy taste are so refreshing -- it's practically a health tonic, I'm sure.

Apple & Thyme Martini
Ice
10 ounces vodka
6 ounces apple juice
1/4 cup Thyme Simple Syrup (recipe follows)
1 large apple, peeled
4 fresh thyme sprigs

Place 4 martini glasses in the freezer to chill.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  (We are not the sort of people who own a cocktail shaker.  But we are the kind of people who own a large Kerr canning jar and small mesh sieve.)  Add the vodka, apple juice, and thyme simple syrup.  Shake for 10 seconds or so.  Divide among your chilled glasses.

Using a melon baller (I actually had to buy one for this recipe, as we apparently weren't the sort who owned a melon baller either.)  Put 3 apple balls in each glass, a sprig of thyme, and bottoms up!  Now go fold the clothes and go to bed.

Thyme Simple Syrup
Makes 1 cup
1 cup sugar
5 large fresh thyme sprigs

In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of water with the sugar and thyme.  Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.  Take off the heat and let it cool completely before using.  The extra syrup will last for a week in your fridge.  Although, we noticed that it isn't nearly so thyme-y and yummy when saved that long.  (Recipe from: Giada's Kitchen by Giada De Laurentiis.  Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2008.)