Drink of the Week and I came up with another delicious cocktail. This time, we played around with the pear syrup I made from pears, sugar, and water. We combined it with bourbon, ginger ale, and maraschino liqueur and ended up with a sweet, golden, winter-y drink.

If you haven’t heard of maraschino liqueur, I am happy to report that it is not made from the juice of those candied cherries that were popular in the 1970s. Rather, Maraschino liqueur is made from the entire (real) cherry, including the pits, which adds a subtle almond flavor to any drink. It is a good addition to the home bar.

In this case, the maraschino liqueur gives a nice nutty undertone to the fresh pear in the syrup. That, combined with the caramel notes of the bourbon, makes for one well-blended, darn delicious drink. Here’s the recipe:

Pearaschino

Ingredients:
(makes one cocktail)

Pear Syrup:

2 pears
1 c sugar
2 c water
2 Tbs vodka (optional)

For the drink:

1 1/2 oz bourbon (one shot)
1 oz maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz pear syrup
roughly 1 oz ginger ale
ice
cherry for garnish

Directions:

Make the pear syrup:

Similar to my strawberry syrup. First, cut up the pears. Combine them with the sugar and water in a pot on the stove. Boil for about 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the syrup has a strong pear flavor.

Strain the pears from the syrup (you can also save the pears and use as an excellent topping on ice cream, yogurt, etc.). Transfer the syrup to a bottle. If you want it to last longer, add a little vodka to the syrup. (Explanation here.)

Make the cocktail:

In a shaker, combine the bourbon, maraschino liqueur, and pear syrup. Shake thoroughly with ice. Strain into a martini glass and top with ginger ale, about 1 oz. Garnish with a cherry. Enjoy!