Ingredients
- 2 ounces vanilla vodka
- 1 ounce spiced pear liqueur
- ¾ ounce almond liqueur
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 dashes cardamom bitters
- Ice
- Pear slice for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, vanilla vodka, spiced pear liqueur, almond liqueur, lemon juice, and cardamom bitters.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with pear slice.
Variations and Substitutions
A spiced pear martini has some ingredients that may not be readily available, but there are enough options for substitutions to make some slight variations.
- Instead of spiced pear liqueur, you can use pear liqueur or, in a pinch, even pear syrup from a can.
- If cardamom bitters aren't for you, consider using orange, cinnamon, or aromatic bitters.
- A splash of allspice dram can be used in place of almond liqueur and bitters.
- Consider a splash of limoncello instead of lemon juice.
- Swap hazelnut liqueur for almond liqueur.
Garnishes
Fruit martinis are lucky enough to have lots of play for garnishes. If you don't have fresh pears on hand, there are still plenty of options.
- Add a twist of a lemon peel.
- A lemon wedge pierced with cloves adds a fun pop.
- Using a cocktail cherry would add a splash of color.
- Peel a pear and curl the skin into a circle, piercing with a cocktail skewer.
About Spiced Pear Martinis
Since the spiced pear martini isn't a "true martini," there's no clear path between the invention of the classic martini and the modern-day spiced pear martini. But what you can deduce is that people still wanted to enjoy a martini-style cocktail, but with a bit more flavor or with a mixer to cut through some of the spirits.
Flavored martinis aren't usually equated or identified as a classic martini. Many flavored martinis don't use vermouth and most, if not all, use a mixer or other liqueur in their ingredients. This is what sets them apart from the traditional gin or vodka martini. However, much of the popularity of flavored martinis is due to the cocktail renaissance of the modern era and the rise in the availability of flavored vodkas and other spirits. Once people began looking for new or interesting ways to shake up and consume different spirits, flavored martinis provided a unique means of doing so, including the spiced pear martini.
A Perfect Pear
Fall isn't just for apple and pumpkin, it's for pear cocktails too. While there's nothing wrong with opting for an apple cider or pumpkin martini as soon as the weather chills, there's something to be said about the unique and flavorful spiced pear martini.
