Cocktail hour: Hans' A to Z challenge

The first cocktail hour of 2009 is an auspicious moment, and Hans, now recovered from his New Year exertions, has come up with a wizard wheeze: a cocktail for each letter of the alphabet. 

We start, naturally, with the ascetic Apple Martini, a cool cocktail perfect for sophisticated, frosty early January evenings. The White Witch in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe would drink these, conjuring them up from the snow. 

Ingredients:

1 measure vodka
1 measure apple Schnapps
Splash of Dry Vermouth
And, of course, garnish with a slice of apple

Shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with an apple slice. Raise your glass, toast the New Year, and sip sip sip.