The Seasonal Gourmet

La Poire: A pear based cocktail with subtle notes of rosemary and pepper.

I love to incorporate seasonal fruit into cocktails. It’s a fun and easy way to enjoy the flavours of the season (check out the Drink Archives for other ideas including Peach Sangria and Strawberry Mojitos).  With a little creativity, autumn drinks can involve more than just apple cider (although I do love a good cider as well!). For those who don’t speak much French, ‘la poire’ means ‘pear’.

This recipe calls for pear-flavoured vodka.  Both Grey Goose and Absolut make pear vodkas, however, if you’d rather make your own version, you can try this recipe from eHow.com: How to Make Pear Infused Vodka.  The rosemary-black pepper syrup sounds a bit odd but it’s subtle and adds an interesting note to the drink.

La Poire

Makes 2 drinks

• 4 oz. pear flavoured vodka
• 2 oz. Rosemary-Black Pepper Simple Syrup (see below)
• 4 oz. pear juice (Ceres brand pear juice is readily available at many supermarkets)
• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 2 pear slices, for garnish (optional)
• 2 sprigs rosemary, for garnish (optional)
• Black pepper, for garnish (optional)
• Ice cubes

Rosemary-Black Pepper Simple Syrup

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• A sprig of fresh rosemary, about 4″ long
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

To make the syrup:

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, rosemary and black pepper.  Heat the mixture on medium-high and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Let simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.  Remove the rosemary sprig once cool and use the syrup as desired.  Extra syrup will keep in the fridge for a few days.

To make the cocktail:

1. In a martini shaker, add a few ice cubes, vodka, simple syrup, pear juice and lemon juice.  Shake well and strain the drinks into martini or low-ball glasses.
2. Garnish drinks with a pear slice, a rosemary sprig and a light sprinkling of fresh pepper if desired.

Enjoy!

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