1 INTRODUCTION  
2 APOGEE SUBGIANTS AND GIANTS  
2.1 Star selection  
3 BINARY STAR EVOLUTION MODELS  
3.1 Binary star evolution algorithm (bse)  
3.2 Initial parameters for binary population evolution  
3.3 Galaxy model  
4 SYNTHETIC APOGEE OBSERVATIONS  
5 RESULTS  
5.1 Observed vs. simulated population properties  
5.2 Multiplicity frequency in the field  
5.3 Variation of binary fraction with metallicity  
5.4 The effect of initial conditions  
5.5 Which binaries does the APOGEE data constrain?  
6 CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION