We're on the cusp of bidding 2019 farewell and welcoming 2020. Here's hoping it's a good year filled with lots of delicious menus and opportunities to cook how you'd like! But as we ring in the New Year, the focus is often more on what's in our glasses than what's on our plates. For me, the seasonal joy that comes with fresh, juicy pears means I find every way to enjoy them that I can. So of course they find their way into my holiday cocktails as well! Here are a couple of my favorites:
Pear Infused Riesling
- 2 oz. pear liqueur - I used Drillaud, but many options are available
- 2-3 ice cubes
- ½ ripe pear, cored and sliced thinly
- Riesling wine, chilled
Pour the pear liqueur into a large wineglass. Add the ice cubes and pear slices. Add enough chilled Riesling to fill the glass about ⅔ full. Serve immediately.
- Yields: 1 cocktail
- Preparation Time: 3 minutes
Ginger-Pear Bourbon Cocktail
- 2 oz. honey bourbon
- 1 oz. pear liqueur - I used Drillaud, but many options are available
- 2-3 ice cubes
- ½ ripe pear, cored and sliced thinly
- Ginger beer, chilled
Pour the honey bourbon and pear liqueur into a manhattan glass. Add the ice cubes and pear slices. Add enough chilled ginger beer to fill the glass. Serve immediately.
- Yields: 1 cocktail
- Preparation Time: 3 minutes