Pear Sonata
Updated December 5, 2024
While I’ve never put a pear in my purse, nor my wife’s purse for that matter, I have played an entire foosball game with a satsuma mandarin. Hold your questions, you’ll just have to try it for yourself. All that being said, one place I do enjoy a pear is in my cocktails. I came across the Pear Sonata in one of my favorite books, Left Coast Libations. This crisp, delicate cocktail comes courtesy of Joel Baker, formerly of Bourbon and Branch fame. I look forward to paying Joel a visit across the bay at Hard Water, where he is currently tending bar. Maybe if I’m lucky he’ll make me a delicious autumn cocktail. But in the meantime I’ll just have to make my own.
Pear Sonata
A crisp, delicate cocktail that celebrates pear season
Servings: 1 cocktail; foam makes enough for about 10 cocktails
INGREDIENTS
For the cocktail
- 1 1/2 oz gin
- 1 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- 1/2 oz dry vermouth
- 1/4 oz pear eau de vie
- pear foam
- cinnamon (for garnish)
- slice pear (for garnish)
For the pear foam
- 7 oz pear nectar
- 3 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
- 2 1/2 oz egg whites
- whipped cream canister with 2 nitrous oxide cartridges
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the pear foam
- Peel a couple ripe pears: I used Red Anjou. Juice the pears, and measure out 7 ounces of pear nectar. If you don't have a juicer you can use bottled pear nectar. However, I would recommend using a brand with as few artificial ingredients as possible.
- Add the pear nectar to the whipped cream canister, along with the egg whites and the St. Germain. Next, close the canister and give it a hard shake to combine the ingredients. Charge the canister with one nitrous oxide cartridge, give it another hard shake, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
To make the cocktail
- Add the gin, St. Germain, lemon juice, dry vermouth, and pear eau de vie to your shaker. Fill your shaker with ice and shake for a full 10 seconds.
- Double strain through a fine mesh strainer over new ice into a small Collins glass. Remove your pear foam from the fridge. Charge with the second nitrous oxide cartridge and give it another hard shake before topping the cocktail with foam.
- Garnish with a little freshly grated cinnamon and a slice of fresh pear.
(images by HonestlyYUM)