Happy Friday! We have a luscious summer cocktail for you this week – a perfect pear.

A perfect pear mixed by director Jeff Stewart. Photo by Jeff Stewart.

Jeff’s drinking pal, commercial and feature editor Greg Nussbaum (“The Spirit”), turned him onto this rendition of the drink. Here’s a bit of development history: After first trying a vodka-version of the drink at San Francisco’s Absinthe Brasserie & Bar in 1999, drink aficionado Chuck Taggart eventually substituted Plymouth Gin for vodka and hit on this beauty. (You can read Chuck’s account of a perfect pear’s genesis at his site, gumbopages.com.)

When Jeff served up this golden goddess, we were sitting in his backyard on a lovely summer afternoon. The cocktail has the crisp flavor of pears, of course, but it’s also smooth and nearly sensuous. The pear eau-de-vie coupled with fresh-squeezed lime and orange juices balance the simple syrup, giving the drink a clean, not-too-sweet flavor and finish.

Jeff agrees with Chuck; the key is the right gin. Jeff suggests Hendricks or Plymouth. Jeff also recommends Aqua Perfecta, Clear Creek, or Purkhart pear eau-de-vie.

Wanna try a perfect pear? Here’s the recipe.

1 1/2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. pear eau-de-vie
2 tsps. fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 tsps. fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 tsps. simple syrup

Combine with ice in a shaker and shake for 25 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Wondering how to make simple syrup? Here’s a link to a past post with the recipe. Look for it near the bottom of the page.

Keep your glass-half full. Drink responsibly.

Cheers!