The ’Tinis, All Grown Up

Ever since the Espresso Martini staged a dramatic return to the limelight a few years ago, the drink has remained a fixture of modern menus. It was the Trojan horse that paved the way for other caffeinated cocktails to make a splash, and it also emboldened the revival (and modernization) of its ’tini siblings. While these kitschy, crowd-pleasing drinks spent several years relegated to Dark-Age-drinks-status, now, thanks to nostalgia and a few modern tweaks, you can have an Appletini at a buzzy new bar and hardly anyone would bat an eye. Here is a look at the ’tinis you know and love, all all grown up.

According to Dale DeGroff, godfather of the modern cocktail revival, the French Martini was “one of the sparks that got the cocktail-as-Martini craze started.” A fruit-forward combination of vodka, pineapple juice and Chambord, the French Martini dates back to 1996 when DeGroff himself debuted the drink at restaurateur Keith McNally’s Pravda, in New York City. It wasn’t until the following year, however, when it hit the menu at McNally’s buzzy Balthazar, that the drink really took off. Though it may be less viral than its siblings, the French Martini, too, is making a comeback.