As winter has settled in Northern California and the medicine aka liquor cabinet is overflowing, I decided to share my newest cocktail creation. Fall and winter bring out my love of pears. Poached pear desserts (which will be a later post), pear cocktails, pears in salads…you get where I’m going with this, I’m sure.

Inspired by my need to shuffle things around in my booze laden shelves I tripped upon magic, shook it up with ice and poured it lovingly into a martini glass. What a welcome greeting after a long work day for myself and my husband.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz of Hanson Ginger Vodka

1 1/2 oz Napa Valley Distillery Pear Brandy

1/2 oz Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice

1/4 oz Agave Syrup

3 dashes (drops) Bitter Girl Bitters Pear Jordan

Bosc pear sliced thin – 1 slice per cocktail

Combine the ingredients in your favorite cocktail shaker with a few cubes of ice. Shake it up and strain into a martini glass containing a Bosc pear slice already resting for garnish. This can also be enjoyed over a nice large ice sphere in your favorite cocktail glass.

I was being realistic knowing that the martini glasses slanted edge was perfectly poised for my enjoyment. I discovered once, after a long work day that dripped into night, that walking into a home and hearing the sound of a shaker is a bit sexy to my ears! Creating this cocktail for the husband was a lot nicer that saying how’s your day. It was more like, here’s a cocktail and hello lover…oh & hello to you to my other half.

Cheers to the New Year and happy sipping!

Sonoma County Wine Country Weekend took part earlier this month. This is a wonderful chance to explore the food & wine located in this area, yet it is also exhilarating for me to stumble across new local finds sourced in the county I’ve chosen to call home.

This seasons find of choice was Sisters Switchel, something I could not wait to get into the kitchen & play with!  Hopefully, I will do an interview later to dig into their story behind the delicious creation. I’m a fan of apple cider vinegar, kombucha & other liquid delights that are effective enhancers of body vitality. When I spotted this booth I needed to try this unique local libation that is a blend of apple cider vinegar, raw honey & fresh pressed organic ginger. The flavor is in between an apple cider vinegar and a ginger beer that is rounded out with a touch of honey.

Now normally you would read of a libation such as this & think health drink option, but I’m wired slightly differently. I couldn’t wait to create a cocktail with this after the very first sip. Most people close to me know about my seasonal essential oil cocktail parties & I am always on the lookout for items that may play well with oils & spirits. So between this tonic & other local finds around my house became the birth of another delicious cocktail enhanced by oils.

This cocktail tastes like the ending of summers refreshing flavors as it embraces the full palate of autumns ginger notes. So welcome to my first cocktail post!

Falls First Kiss:

2 oz. Spirit Works Distillery Barrel Gin – http://www.spiritworksdistillery.com/

2 oz. Sisters Switchel

2 oz. Stolen Fruit Cocktail Mixer, Lemongrass Ginger Sauvignon Blanc

1 drop of Grapefruit Young Living Essential Oil (I would suggest using the vitality line) – https://www.youngliving.com/en_US (Utilize my member #2532690 to start your essential oil journey & I’ll send more great recipes!)

Add the above ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice & shake until well blended. Pour into your favorite martini glass & enjoy with a fresh tarragon leaf garnish.

Cheers to great discoveries!