I Tried Applebee’s New Holiday Menu—And Their Take On The Espresso Martini Is A Game-Changer
Perfect Cranberry Margarita
Holiday cocktails are hands-down one of my favorite ways to celebrate this time of year. They’re a fun pick-me-up, and a great way to enjoy some downtime between holiday shopping and party hopping. And they seem to be everywhere this year, from chain restaurants to more upscale digs, you’d be hard-pressed to find a restaurant that doesn’t have a handful of festival cocktails on its menu.
Applebee’s happens to be one of those restaurants rolling out new sips during “the most wonderful time of the year.” In total, they have five new cocktails. And I was lucky enough to try all of them. Among the new additions are two $6 Sleigh Bell Sips (Sleigh All Day Rita and Tipsy Reindeer) and three Shake’N Up Your Holiday Cocktails (Espres-So Happy Martini, Golden Goose and Perfect Cranberry Margarita).
Read ahead to hear all about what I thought of each of them.
Sleigh All Day Rita
This particular cocktail tastes a lot like escaping to an all-inclusive beach resort in Cancun just as the holiday mayhem begins. It’s made with Teremana Tequila Blanco, blue curaçao, melon liqueur, lime and pineapple juice, so it’s very much fruit-forward. I do feel like the “Vibe Drop” (a shot that costs additional) of Don Julio Reposado was a necessary option to ensure that the cocktail doesn’t taste like straight juice. It was a tasty drink, I’m just not a fan of cocktails being served in huge goblet glasses because I always wonder how much alcohol I’m actually getting.
Tipsy Reindeer & Perfect Cranberry Margarita
Sadly, I have to put these two together because they taste exactly the same. Here are the ingredients for both, FYI:
Tipsy Reindeer - Smirnoff Vodka, Ocean Spray Cranberry, grenadine, and premium lemon sour, topped with a Santa gummi.
Perfect Cranberry Margarita - 1800 Reposado Tequila, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, lime, and Ocean Spray Cranberry.
As you can see, aside from the cranberry juice, they’re both made with fairly different ingredients (even the liquor is different!), so I’m not sure how they ended up tasting so identical. These two were my least favorite. The cranberry flavor was too strong and overpowered all the other ingredients.
Espres-So Happy Martini
This was by far my favorite cocktail! A 10/10 sip! And from what I’ve heard, this is the first time Applebee’s has added an Espresso Martini to its menu. What I truly believe made this such a great Espresso Martini is that it’s pretty straight-forward. The ingredients are kept simple: Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Kahlúa and nitro-infused espresso. And there aren’t any unnecessary bells and whistles. There is a Pocky chocolate stick garnish though, which I loved (and it doesn’t get soggy!).
Honestly, I feel pretty confident saying that if you were to do a blind taste test with the Espres-So Happy Martini and an Espresso Martini from a high-end restaurant or bar, Applebee’s cocktail could easily take the win.
Golden Goose
My second favorite cocktail, the Golden Goose was a Lemon Drop martini with a splash of mango magic. It’s made from a combination of Grey Goose Vodka, triple sec, mango and premium lemon sour. I’m not a huge fan of mango drinks, but I didn’t find the flavor to be overpowering. Also, the cocktail wasn’t too sweet, but if you wanted to up the sweetness factor there is a sugar rim to enjoy.
Oh! And the Golden Goose, Perfect Cranberry Margarita and Espres-So Happy Martini are served at your table from a cocktail shaker. You get to keep the cocktail shaker at your table and you’re able to pour any additional liquid into your martini glass. So it feels like you’re getting way more than one drink.
Are any of Applebee’s new holiday cocktails making it onto your must-try list?