This Spiced Pear Cocktail is made with homemade spiced pear syrup, and it's such a perfect holiday cocktail for fall and winter! It's sweet, with delicious warming spices, and it's very simple to make. You can make it in a pitcher, and the syrup is freezer-friendly!
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Why You'll Love This Pear Cocktail
Homemade pear syrup - The syrup for this drink is very similar to my Pear Simple Syrup, just with a few extra warming spices. The syrup has cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and star anise. The flavor pairs really well with spiced rum, and it's perfect for cold fall and winter months. The recipe makes enough for about 10 cocktails, and you can freeze it, too!
Perfect for the holidays - All the spices, pear, and spiced rum scream fall, and the cocktail is perfect for Thanksgiving, Halloween, or any fall parties or dinners! It would also be delicious served with appetizers at your Christmas dinner or parties. It's delicious with this Roasted Pear Crostini!
Quick and easy - Even though the cocktail calls for a homemade syrup, it's still super easy to put together. The syrup takes less than 30 minutes, and I recommend making it ahead so that your cocktails can be ready in as little as 2 minutes!
Ingredients
- Pear - You can use any pear for the syrup you have available to you, just make sure it's ripe. Pears at the peak of their season will always have the best flavor. My favorite varieties include Bartlett, Comice, Bosc, and Anjou pear.
- Cane sugar - Most of my syrups use cane sugar because it's less processed than white sugar, but it still has the same neutral flavor.
- Water - Use filtered water whenever possible for the best flavor.
- Whole spices - You'll need a stick of cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and fresh ginger. I prefer fresh spices here because they infuse into the syrup the best that way, instead of settling on the bottom of it like ground spices would. You don't need much for a ton of flavor when it comes to spices!
- Spiced rum - Spiced rum goes really well with the spices in the syrup and the pear. Alternatively, you can also use dark rum, bourbon, or whiskey.
- Lemon juice - Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give you the best flavor.
Variations and Substitutions
- Store-bought syrup - While I recommend making your own syrup here, if you don't have the time, store-bought plain pear syrup will work as well.
- Pear juice - Fresh pears will have the best flavor, but if you don't have any, you can make the syrup using pear juice instead. Just skip the water and add 1 cup of good-quality pure pear juice.
- Apples - If you don't have pears, you can make the syrup using apples instead!
- Mocktail -
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, you'll need to make the syrup. I recommend doing this ahead of time so that once you're making the cocktails, you can whip them up in just a couple of minutes!
Spiced Pear Syrup
- Add cane sugar, water, diced pear, fresh ginger, cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise to a medium saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes.
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- Take the syrup off the heat and stir in vanilla extract. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. The longer it sits, the stronger the flavor of the spices will be.
- Strain it into a bowl or a large measuring cup. Use the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much just out of the pear as you can.
- Pour the syrup into an airtight container or a jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Allow to cool before closing with a lid.
Spiced Pear Cocktail
- Add spiced rum or bourbon, spiced pear syrup, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker.
- Add a handful of ice and shake vigorously for a few seconds until very cool to the touch.
- Strain the cocktail into a short glass over ice and top up with sparkling water if desired.
- Garnish with pear slices, a lemon slice or a twist, a stick of cinnamon or star anise, and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks!
- Don't overdo it on the spices: Spices can be very potent, so you only need small amounts for the syrup. The amounts in the recipe give the syrup plenty of flavor, but if you find it's still not strong enough, cool it with the spices and pear longer before straining. I find adding more spices would hide the pear flavor too much.
- Prepare your glasses first: This prevents your cocktail from being watered down in the shaker. If you start prepping your glass after you shake the cocktail, it will have to sit with the ice for longer and might get watered down.
Storing and Make-Ahead Options
The syrup can be stored in both the fridge and the freezer.
Fridge: Store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Discard it immediately if it changes texture, color, or flavor, or develops mold.
Freezer: You can also freeze it in a freezer-safe container for 2-3 months. Due to the high sugar content, the syrup never freezes completely solid and should be scoopable straight from the freezer.
You can also juice your lemons the night before and store them in an airtight jar in the fridge to save time if you're making more than just 1-2 cocktails.
FAQs
You can make the syrup with a sugar-free granulated sugar substitute. Keep in mind that the sugar acts as a conservant here. The syrup won't last nearly as long without it.
If you want to double up on the pear flavor, you can add pear liqueur, but it's definitely optional. Alternatively, you can add a splash of pear juice as well.
Yes! Just multiply the ingredients by however many servings you need and stir everything together in a pitcher. For 10 servings, you'll need 20 oz spiced rum, 10 oz pear syrup, 7.5 oz fresh lemon juice, and lots of ice.
Similar Fall and Winter Cocktails
If you want to see other cocktails similar to this one, either for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a chill evening with friends, check out the four linked below! They're some of my favorites for this time of the year, and they're all super easy to make! To see all the latest ones, head over to Cocktail Recipes.
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Have you tried this Pear Cocktail? Please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
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Print📖 Recipe
Spiced Pear Cocktail
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Cocktail
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Spiced Pear Cocktail is made with homemade spiced pear syrup and it's such a perfect holiday cocktail for fall and winter! It's sweet, with delicious warming spices, and it's very simple to make. You can make it in a pitcher, and the syrup is freezer-friendly!
Ingredients
Spiced Pear Syrup
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 pear, diced
- ½ inch fresh ginger, sliced and peeled
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2-3 cloves
- 1 star anise
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Spiced Pear Cocktail
- 2 oz spiced rum or bourbon
- 1 oz spiced pear syrup
- ¾ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Ice
- Sparkling water (optional)
- Pear and lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
Spiced Pear Syrup
- Add cane sugar, water, diced pear, fresh ginger, cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise to a medium saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes.
- Take it off the heat and stir in vanilla extract. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. The longer it sits, the stronger the flavor of the spices will be.
- Strain it into a bowl or a large measuring cup. Use the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much just out of the pear as you can.
- Store the syrup in an airtight container or a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Allow to cool before closing with a lid.
Spiced Pear Cocktail
- Add spiced rum or bourbon, spiced pear syrup, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker.
- Add a handful of ice and shake vigorously for a few seconds until very cool to the touch.
- Strain the cocktail into a short glass over ice and top up with sparkling water if desired. Garnish with sliced pear, a lemon slice or a twist, a stick of cinnamon or star anise, and enjoy!
Notes
Servings: The cocktail recipe makes 1 serving, but the syrup is enough for about 10 cocktails! You can half the recipe if you prefer, or store the leftovers in the fridge or freezer for more drinks.
Pitcher: Multiply the ingredients by however many servings you need and stir everything together in a pitcher. For 10 servings, you'll need 20 oz spiced rum, 10 oz pear syrup, 7.5 oz fresh lemon juice, and lots of ice.
Storing: The syrup can be stored in the fridge for up to 14 days. You can also freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3-5 months. Keep in mind that the syrup won’t freeze completely solid due to the high sugar content so I don’t recommend using an ice cube mold.
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