We think sake is a criminally underutilized cocktail ingredient, so we were over the moon when we found this fabulous mint apple crisp recipe from jim meehan and karen fu at pdt. It was crafted to honor their home state of new york, so they called for heart of the hudson apple vodka, made from apple cider from new york orchards. Its a wonderful combination the sake and mint add a lively, almost-vegetal freshness to the muddled green apple. Make sure your slices are about a quarter-inch thick (about 6mm), and leave the skin on to get the brightest, freshest flavor.