First of all, I hope all of my fellow Americans enjoyed a marvelous Thanksgiving. You know, I don’t mention this often enough, but I am sincerely thankful for all of you—visitors, readers, commenters, followers—and greatly appreciate your support. This blog wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for your constant encouragement. Sometimes I just want to run up to each commenter and give her (or him!) a big kiss on the cheek. And you guys, I don’t even kiss my friends on the cheek. I’m American, not French!
Onward! The holidays are upon us, so what better way to ring them in than with a brand new cocktail series? I had so much fun mixing and photographing my summer cocktails that I decided to host a winter-themed series. For those of you who are new to my way of making cocktails, I should explain that my cocktails are made with basic liquors and fresh, seasonal ingredients. Not a single one calls for refined sugar in the form of simple syrup; I prefer to sweeten mine with fresh fruit, juices or natural sweeteners like agave nectar, honey or maple syrup. I also think that most liqueurs are expensive and far too sweet, so I avoid them.
Today I present my first holiday cocktail, which contains reposado tequila, pear nectar, honey and spices. If you braved the stores this morning for Black Friday deals, you’re going to need at least one of these.
If you’re put off by the idea of tequila combined with pears, please hear me out: reposado tequila tastes quite a bit different from the silver or blanco tequila used in margaritas. Reposado is Spanish for rested, which means that reposado tequila is aged for a short time (between two months and a year) in oak barrels. Bourbon is also aged in oak barrels, so naturally, bourbon and reposado tequila share some of the same oaky flavors. If you have bourbon on hand, feel free to substitute it for the tequila; the drink is good both ways.
- 1 1/2 oz reposado tequila (I used Milagro’s 100% agave reposado tequila)
- 3-4 ounces pear nectar (I like R.W. Knudsen)
- tiny dash of cinnamon
- one drop vanilla extract
- light drizzle of honey
- half of a lemon, juiced
- cinnamon stick, to garnish (optional)
- Fill a double old-fashioned or high ball glass with ice.
- Pour in the tequila and pear nectar. Add the cinnamon, vanilla and honey to the glass. Squeeze in half a lemon’s worth of juice.
- Mix by pouring into a cocktail shaker or another glass, give it a shake or stir well, then pour it back into the original glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
20 Comments
Yesssss!!
I rarely make cocktails myself. I would enjoy drinking them though. Pear nectar is rather sweet, isn’t it? Do you think pear juice would work just as well?
Hey Lena! I honestly don’t know if I’ve tried regular pear juice before, but I’m sure it would be good. If I were to guess, I’d say the difference between the nectar and the juice is that the nectar is cloudier, like cider is compared to apple juice. I think they must leave some of the pear pulp in the nectar. I’ve only tried the R.W. Knudsen brand of pear nectar and I don’t think it’s super sweet. Hope that helps!
What a yummy treat! This sounds lovely.
great idea! this sounds wonderful
yum! the whole recipe sounds perfect. I love every single ingredient in it! :)
Thanks, I think I know what to look for now. I forgot to say, I love the photo!
I’m slightly concerned as it is 8:00am on a Monday and I’m already thinking about drinking- this looks lovely!
What a beautiful drink! Thanks for sharing the recipe :)
Gorgeous! Pear is just so wonderful and refreshing in drinks. I feel like I need to have a party now just so I can serve this!
I did not brave the sales but I could have used one of these regardless! Beautiful.
A drink is exactly what I need right now! This gorgeous little cocktail will be getting made!
This drink looks so beautiful with the cinnamon stick.
Ooh, a whole holiday cocktail series? I love that. This one looks really good. Excited to see more!
I am definitely going to have to try this…maybe with my own fresh-squeezed pear juice (I’ve been on a big juicing kick lately!)
Lucky! I wish I had a juicer. Fresh pear juice sounds fantastic!
When I saw the picture I smiled. I was thinking “Yes! A new cocktail series!” Your cantaloupe fiesta cocktail was what got me to your blog in the first place so I am really looking forward to seeing (and reading) new posts about cocktails!
Keep doing what makes you happy!
Mabel
While I can’t handle tequila (bad experience, man), I’m adding this to my round-up of holiday drinks post for those friends of mine who like it!
Kate, just thought you should know: I made a huge pitcher of this Christmas day when my family and family friends were all waiting for dinner to be ready (which was taking longer than expected), and it was a huge, HUGE hit. Thanks for this — completely saved the day! :)
Hey Kathryn, I somehow missed your comment until now, but I’m so delighted to hear that your family loved the pear cocktail! Hooray!
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