Tarte de Pommes-tini

Inspired by one of Chicago's hot new restaurants, Girl & The Goat, this cocktail recipes uses the French apple brandy Calvados and rum to provide smooth fall flavor. Phil Vettel of the Chicago Tribune gave Girl & The Goat a great first review, but you don't have to drive all the way downtown to enjoy this sophisticated sipper.

The cocktail on the menu at the Girl & The Goat is named "The Pirate Norman." Chef Stephanie Izard of Top Chef fame and her staff likely named the drink after its two main ingredients, aged rum (pirate) and the Normandy import of Calvados (Norman). This interpreted recipe of the Girl & The Goat cocktail is called "Tarte de Pommes-tini" or roughly "apple tart-tini" in French. While it may not be the exact Pirate Norman from Girl & The Goat, the taste may be just perfect for those martini lovers who never truly embraced the overly sweet "apple-tini" craze. And the flavor comparision to the original is pretty close. The ingredients are easy to find in the western suburbs of Chicago. Calvados is easy to find and is often used for cooking. Make sure the rum you choose is a dark aged rum.

Tarte de Pommes-tini

(enough for two cocktails with some extra left for refills)

Combine in a martini shaker with crushed ice:

• 2 shots Calvados
• 4 shots aged rum
• juice of 1 lemon (strained of pulp)
• 3 tsp. of sugar

Shake and strain the cocktail, serving in martini glasses.