Lifestyle Mirror

Having already whipped up five watermelon cocktails for the end of summer in the bar at the Lifestyle Mirror office, it’s time for the next batch of winter-ready seasonal sips. We turned to bartenders from around the country for five different recipes based on one ingredient—pear.

The beauty of pear, of course, is in its versatility and variety. From Anjou to Bartlett to Bosc, there’s plenty to work with when it comes to playing with texture, flavor, and preparation.   

Due to certain ingredient shortage in the New York area, we had to make three important changes to three recipes. Unless you can find pineapple sage in a grocery store near you, everyday sage makes for a great alternative in the autumn nocturne Likewise, with Cocchi Americano nowhere to be found, I used Salers aperitif in the peregrine falcon instead, which—unlike Lillet Blanc—has that same spice and bitterness Cocchi is known for. Lastly, unable to find the Luxardo amaro required of the pear flip, I substituted another brand of the Italian liqueur, Amaro Montenegro.

Last minute alterations aside, the results were outstanding—and not surprisingly, quite varied. The pear flip with Brugal rum, walnut bitters, honey, and a whole egg was as smooth and frothy as dessert, while the scot’s pear with The Black Grouse and Sandeman tawny port was forceful in it’s dark, smoky spirit-forwardness. But it was the drunken pear with Plymouth gin and cucumber that had the most pear flavor, delicate and perfectly refreshing. —Sasha Levine (@sashalevine)

Pear Cocktail Directory

Drunken Pear
By Ryan Hisamune, Bar Manager at Jones
620 Jones Street, San Francisco

Pear Flip
By Scott Fitzgerald, Head Mixologist at Mulberry Project
149 Mulberry Street, New York

Scot's Pear
By Joseph Brooke, Head Bartender at Mixology 101
6333 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles

Autumn Nocturn
Lynn House, Chief Mixologist at Blackbird
619 West Randolph Street, Chicago

Peregrine Falcon
By Fraser Hamilton, “Spiritual Advisor” at Blackbird Ordinary 
729 SW First Avenue, Miami