Pears Are The Perfect Complement To Your Bourbon Cocktails

When pear season rolls around, we can't wait to put the world's greatest fruit to good use. And what better way to celebrate the occasion than with a cocktail? You may not know just by looking at it, but bourbon is a great addition to homemade jams and other fruit-forward dishes, which is why we're excited about the perfect fall cocktail pairing: bourbon and pear.

There are a wide variety of pears out there, but generally speaking, pears are full of sweet aromatics and tart, crisp juice. It's the kind of flavor profile you'd get if you crossed vanilla beans with an apple, both of which play nicely with the vanilla and caramel notes of bourbon. But until you try a pear and bourbon cocktail yourself, the flawless autumnal flavors will elude you, so let's talk shop.

There are several different ways to incorporate pear into your cocktails, but if we had to pick our favorite it would probably be in the form of a pear-infused simple syrup. It's versatile, easy to make, and allows for a high degree of control over your ratios. Simple syrup is essentially sugar water that has been cooked over a stove to get the sugar to dissolve properly. To make pear simple syrup, chop up three or four pears into little cubes and throw them in the pot while the simple syrup is cooking. Strain out the pear when it's done and let it cool off before attempting to mix with it.

Now that we have pear simple syrup, we can start to get creative. A straightforward recommendation would be a Pear Old Fashioned. A typical Old Fashioned will have you crushing a sugar cube into the drink and we can easily substitute that with our pear simple syrup. A second option that's a little less spirit-forward would be a Pear Whiskey Sour where we mix lemon juice, bourbon, and pear simple syrup to riff on a classic Whiskey Sour. If you want to maximize the vibes, use a pear garnish on any of these. Fresh, dehydrated, or candied pear slices would all make great garnishes either on a cocktail skewer or on the edge of the glass.

If pear simple syrup isn't what you're looking for, there are other options. Pear juice is a useful ingredient you can buy at the store (if you can find it) or make at home if you have a juicer. Alternatively, if you're poaching pears with bourbon, you can use the liquid you poached them in as a mixing ingredient. In either scenario, you'll want to strain the liquid.

Regardless, the pear juice or poaching liquid is going to be delicious enough that you could easily opt for a simple mixed drink. For that, pour a glass of the juice and stir in a shot of bourbon, not unlike a gin and juice. But don't be afraid to experiment behind the bar. You may just discover your new favorite cocktail.