Disclaimer: This is not a well-balanced cocktail!  This is a smooth and easy drinking cocktail for people like me, who need some help appreciating the fall season.  By now apple cider and pumpkin spice have permeated everything.  I wanted a drink that wasn’t summery, but went outside of the standard autumn offerings.  We’re all familiar with the Appletini.  And most attempts at switching out apple for pear in a ‘martini’ are usually floral.   While I love St. Germain as much as the next person, flowers are for spring cocktails.  I played around with several recipes to make this pear-forward cocktail.

A classic gin martini, a Cosmopolitan, a pear martini, and an Appletini we’re all part of my taste-testing.  Absolut Pears is one of my staple liquors.  I don’t love vodka but I love this vodka.  To make this Appletini-inspired vodka martini, I started with two ounces of Absolut Pears.  Most pear martini recipes call for an equal amount of St. Germain.  I love St. Germain but I wanted something more characteristic of the season.   I opted for two ounces of vanilla liqueur.   I used Giffard Vanille de Madagascar.  Instead of the apple juice in an Appletini, or the cranberry juice in a Cosmopolitan, I used two ounces of pear nectar.  I don’t love grainy texture so I strained the pear nectar first.  A well-balanced cocktail has a sour or tart element.  In an Appletini (and in many drinks) tartness comes from lemon juice.  Instead of lemon juice, I added a half teaspoon of limoncello.   I wanted a smoother lemon flavor without any pucker.  

I made three versions of this cocktail.  Each version added an extra element.  For the basic version combine all of the above ingredients in a shaker filled with ice and shake until the coldness makes your hands hurt.  This is a very cold cocktail.  Strain into a martini or other coupe glass and enjoy immediately.   For the second version, I rinsed a couple glasses with absinthe, and then strained the contents of the shaker into the glass.  For the third version, in addition to rinsing the glass with absinthe, I also added a sugar rim.   For the sugar rim, I spun the rim of the glass in a shallow dish filled with lemon juice and then spun the rim of the glass in a second shallow dish filled with sugar and Chinese five spice powder.  The absinthe rinsed, sugar and spice-rimmed version is delightful.  But for a quick and enjoyable fall cocktail, the basic recipe will not disappoint.   If you really love a sour element to your drinks, just add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the shaker (don’t substitute the lemon juice for the limoncello).   

This recipe makes two cocktails.  Cheers!