The Bubbly Bourbon Pear

I'm excited to link up with the ladies at The Sequin Notebook today for their monthly cocktail link up.  Whenever I think of fall drinks (or fall anything), I feel like the norm is to go from apple to pumpkin to cranberry this time of year.  To me, the one that's always left out is pear.  One of my favorite desserts this time of year is Mike's family's pear mousse.  You can find the recipe here, and it's so delicious!

I especially love Bartlett pears for this cocktail recipe; they're juicy without being too sweet, something I love for cocktails.  When you're looking for the right Bartlett pears, keep in mind that they are picked green and turn yellow as they ripen. I like to use a pretty ripe pear to make the muddling easy.  This recipe makes one low-ball cocktail.

Ingredients: pear, honey, bourbon, vodka, ice, and ginger beer

Peel and dice 1/3 of a pear and place in a cup with a small squeeze of honey and 1 ounce of bourbon.  Muddle together, then add in 1 ounce of vodka and a glass full of ice.  Shake well and pour into a low-ball glass.  Top off with ginger beer and garnish with a thin slice of pear.

Now, if you really want to go above and beyond, my favorite way to garnish this drink is also with a sprig of sugared rosemary.  It's pretty easy to make and serves a great dual purpose as a festive stirrer.

Ingredients: fresh sprigs of rosemary, superfine granulated sugar, water

Dip sprigs of rosemary in water, shake off the excess water, roll in sugar to coat, and place on a paper towel-lined plate for 24 hours to dry.