Ode to the Apple Martini

By Linda S. Gunther

The green liquid in the inverted, cone-shaped glass appeared translucent against the burnt orange sunset. I sat, looking out at the Pacific Ocean, on a wood bench at the picnic table on my stone patio at the edge of the bluff. It was a hot summer afternoon. The crimson-colored cherry at the bottom of the glass had been marinated for three days in Calvados, a tasty French brandy. One part Apple Pucker schnapps was then shaken with three parts ice-cold top shelf vodka and poured lovingly over the loaded plump cherry. The resulting concoction sat atop my picnic table. It was like Christmas in July.

I examined the glass from various angles; first, my chin on my hands, elbows on the table. Then, my face even with the glass. I bent down below the edge of the table and looked up, my head tilted to one side, the buzz and blur of an airplane in the distance crossed through the emerald-colored liquid. Eyes over the glass, I gazed down at the hypnotic mixture of fine spirits. Vestiges of ice crystals still floated on its surface. The pool of cool green called to me, invited me in.

I was Tinker Bell perched on the brim of the long-stemmed glass, my tiny wings a flutter. Eager to dive in, my mouth opened wide. I pointed my fairy arms straight out, bent at my waist and took the plunge down into the magic, taking in delicious gulp after delicious gulp, the taste sweet yet tinged sour. The paradise of my home-made APPLE MARTINI.

Linda S. Gunther has written six romantic suspense novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, Dream Beach, and most recently published, Death Is A Great Disguiser. Ms. Gunther’s short stories and essays have been published in several literary journals.