Hope everyone had a great weekend! This was my birthday weekend, and it was a great one! Look what the Birthday Fairy brought me.

The Birthday Fairy is really my mom who has a Master’s degree in gift giving! I don’t consider myself very high-tech, and I’ve never been one to have the latest and greatest gadget. I’ve needed a new phone for awhile, and have been putting it off. A few months ago, several of the letters stopped working on my phone. This took texting to a whole new level. As the gifted coordinator for my school district, I love opportunities for higher-level thinking. When the “U”, “T” and “N” don’t work, you have to be creative to get your message across. When I told my friend Laura that not being able to type the word “you” was driving me crazy, she came up with an alternative… “ewe”, instead of “you”. This was a pretty clever solution. (I’m sure those who didn’t know about my broken phone thought I was a little strange.)

Needless to say, the novelty of my gifted texting ability wore off pretty quick, and I found myself wasting way too much time thinking of synonyms and homophones.

I’m just now beginning to delve into the world of iPhone apps. I was pretty excited when I found the free mixology app. It’s loaded with tons of drink recipes that can be searched by category or ingredient. For a happy hour lovin’ girl, this is a great thing.

I know some of you are missing my weekly Monday martini posts. I haven’t given up happy hour, just wish I had a few more hours in the day for blogging. This week, it’s back to martinis and this one is perfect for the fall. The recipe comes right off my iPhone from the mixology app.

Green Apple Pucker is definitely worth buying. It can be used in a bunch of recipes. Here are a few links below to some of my favorite apple pucker cocktails that I’ve shaken up. Any of these martinis would be fabulous for a Halloween party.

Candied Apple Martini

Red Candied Apple Martini (“Vampire’s Sweet Tooth”)

Sour Green Apple-tini

MermaidMartini   

This Apple Season-tini is another great one to add to that list. I always use cocktail recipes as a guide, and then tweak them according to my liking. I’ve discovered that Mixology is not an exact science. You have to play around to get the flavor that you like. You may want to add a little more cranberry juice to this drink if it is too strong for you. I  thought the equal parts made for a good balance of flavors.

 Apple Season-tini (from the Mixology iPhone app.)

Equal parts Green Apple Pucker, vodka, and cranberry juice. Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, pour, and enjoy!

Cheers to the beginning of fall! Have a great week everyone!