Sparkling Pear & Ginger Cocktail {Celebrating The Casual Veggie Cookbook Launch!}
Author: 
Recipe type: Drinks
Serves: 2 cocktails
 
Sweet, herbacious, complex, and with just a touch of fizz. This cocktail makes for the perfect sipper, or can be made sans the alcohol for a fun twist on homemade ginger ale.
Ingredients
  • For two cocktails:
  • 3 oz. pear nectar
  • 2 oz. Sage liquor (from Art In The Age)
  • ½ oz. ginger syrup (recipe below)
  • ½ oz. fresh lemon juice
  • Ice
  • Ginger ale or sparkling water, to taste
  • Slices of pear, for garnish
  • For the Ginger Syrup (makes about 2½ cups):
  • 1 cup roughly chopped fresh ginger (no need to peel it)
  • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
Instructions
  1. For the ginger syrup:
  2. In a small saucepan, combine the ginger, sugar, and water. Place over high heat, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, and let steep for anywhere from 5-15 minutes, or until the syrup is as strong as you like it -- the longer it steeps, the stronger and spicier the ginger flavor will become.
  3. Stir in the lemon juice, then strain the mixture into a jar. Let cool, then refrigerate. Syrup can be kept for up to a month.
  4. For the cocktails:
  5. To a cocktail shaker with ice, add the pear nectar, sage liquor, ginger syrup, and lemon juice. Shake briskly, then strain over ice. Top off glasses with ginger ale, or sparkling water, to taste, and garnish with slices of fresh pear.
Notes
If you can't find the sage liquor, you might be able to produce something similar enough for this cocktail by steeping sage, rosemary, or other herbs in a small jar of vodka for several hours. If you can find it, however, I think it's definitely worth trying. This cocktail can also be made sans the alcohol, and is still mighty tasty!

The ginger syrup is one of my favorites for mixing drinks both alcoholic and non. Try mixing it with this blackberry simple syrup (recipe here: https://www.willcookforfriends.com/2014/08/blackberry-soda-with-homemade-blackberry-syrup.html) gin, and lime juice, or just stir 2-3 oz into a glass of sparkling water for homemade ginger ale.
Recipe by Will Cook For Friends at https://www.willcookforfriends.com/2015/10/sparkling-pear-ginger-cocktail-celebrating-the-casual-veggie-cookbook-launch.html