Bourbon, pear and cherry … seriously, how can you go wrong with those flavors? Cocktailing alone is not as much fun, so I collaborated with my friend at Savvy Housekeeping on this slightly sweet and sparkling drink for winter made with bourbon, pear syrup and maraschino liqueur.

When you see maraschino liqueur in the ingredients, don’t think of those neon-red cherries that never go bad! It’s actually a liqueur made from real cherries, pit and all, that has a light nutty flavor.

Pearaschino

1 1/2 oz. Bourbon
1 oz. Maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz. pear syrup
roughly 1 oz. ginger ale

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.

Pear Syrup

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

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.

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