Lola’s, famous for the apple martini, to close in September

Lola’s West Hollywood restaurant, which lays claim to inventing the bright green apple martini, announced Thursday that it’s shutting its doors after 17 years in business.

In the mid- to late 1990s, the restaurant became a popular spot for after-work drinks and specialty cocktails, with one of L.A.’s first martini menus. Lola’s owner Loren Dunsworth (a.k.a. Lola) claims to have mixed the very first apple martini with some members of the staff at the back of the bar in 1996.

Ever since, the drink has been a hit.

“We had a bottle of Apple Pucker and a bottle of Ketel One and we combined the two and I thought, ‘It tastes just like a Jolly Rancher’,” Dunsworth told The Times in a 2012 interview. “We sell ludicrous amounts of apple martinis. I don’t know of any craft cocktails that people seek out the world over like they do the apple martini. I think it makes people happy.”

In a statement, Dunsworth said the decision to retire was an easy one: “I’m retiring with all my chips (and more) and at the top of my game. What better time to take a bow and leave the stage but after a long-running, strong performance? Lola’s was a great run and it has been our loyal following that made it such a fun place to work.”

Lola’s is set to officially close Sept. 8.

Lola’s West Hollywood, 945 N. Fairfax Ave., West Hollywood.

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