Description
Pear brandy with lemon, gin and rosemary simple syrup – a cocktail that is both unique, and utterly evocative of the winter holidays!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
(for 2 drinks)
- 1 ounce Poire Williams (Pear Brandy – see “notes”, below)
- 1 ounce rosemary simple syrup
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 3 ounces dry gin
- Sugar-Salt (for rims)
Rosemary Simple Syrup
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 3–4 sprigs rosemary (each 4–5 inches long)
Sugar-Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cane sugar
- 1/4 kosher salt
Instructions
- Make the Rosemary Simple Syrup. Pinch off a small tip of rosemary for each drink, and reserve for garnishes. Bring 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water to boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add rosemary sprigs, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, discard rosemary, and allow syrup to cool completely.
- Salt the rims. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon cane sugar and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt evenly onto a small plate. Twirl the rim of a glass against the cut face of a lemon, and invert it onto the plate, making small circular motions until it’s well-coated. Repeat with the other glass.
- Fill a shaker 2/3 full with ice, and give it a quick rinse to remove any freezer burn.
- Add 1 ounce Poire Williams (Pear Brandy), 1 ounce Rosemary Simple Syrup, 1-ounce lemon juice, and 3 ounces dry gin to the shaker – then shake vigorously (about 12 seconds) until well-chilled.
- Strain into cocktail glasses, and top each drink with a tip of rosemary.
Notes
- My favorite brand of Poire Williams is produced by “Massenez“, in France. But a close second is the “Pear Brandy” by Clear Creek Distilling, in Oregon. Both are widely distributed, and both come in half-size (375 ml) bottles.
Keywords: pear tree cocktail, pear tree, pear cocktail, gin cocktail, holiday cocktail recipe, Christmas cocktail,