Get in the Christmas spirit with this winter-spiced pear cocktail. This warm, fruity cocktail, packed with spices of cinnamon, cloves and lovely anise is a perfect way to warm up on a cold and snowy day. Each and every sip of this alcohol-free cocktail will bring a smile to your face.
Every holiday deserves a fun and festive drink. The winter-spiced pear cocktail is one of those. I mean, mulled wine is like on top of the list of winter drinks followed by a list of boozy “friends”. For example, we all know drinks with gin, which is very popular (at least in Europe), vodka, rum or champagne, right?
That being said, why not enjoy a great non-alcoholic cocktail. Imagine a batch of winter-spiced pear cocktail along with some homemade cookies. Doesn’t that just sound great? Or even better, with a slice of a cake. In fact, no Christmas can’t be complete without a big piece of a Christmas fruit cake. Yummy!
Why making a winter-spiced pear cocktail
Ok, getting back to the recipe. Besides serving the winter-spiced pear cocktail with a slice of cake, there are plenty of other reasons as well. For instance, to warm you up, to celebrate the holidays with your family and friends, to enjoy a dessert (by the way also a Bled cream cake would fit great) in front of a fireplace or just because it’s sweet and fruity.
I decided on pears to make this lovely winter-spiced cocktail. However, you can also use apples or a combination of both. Also, why not add a banana, too. I think it would be a great combination. Furthermore, the best pears are those sweet, soft and juicy ones, rather than the crisp ones.
If you decide to use pears, make sure you pick the ripe pears. How do you know when a pear is ripe? Easy, either you lightly press at the neck of the pear and if it yields it’s ripe. Or on some pears, you can see it by the skin colour becoming brighter.
Either way, try this fruity cocktail and make your holiday even more special.
Ingredients for 2 portions of winter-spiced pear cocktail:
- 3-4 pears (ripe, peeled)
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp of honey
- 5-6 cloves
- one star anise (seeds)
- 150 ml whipping cream
- lemon (juice)
- 1 tsp of vanilla sugar
- a drop of vanilla paste
Take the pears, wash and peel them. Then, cut them into quarters, core it and remove the stem. In other words, there is a harder part going from the neck on top all the way to the bottom. Cut the quarters into bigger chunks.
At this point, preheat the oven to 160º C. In a medium baking dish (lined with parchment paper) add the pears, cinnamon, cloves, seeds of the star anise and honey. Before you put it in the oven, give it a quick shake. Then, put to bake for about 50 minutes, with quick stir halftime through.
In the meantime, whip the whipping cream. Just before stiff peaks appear, sprinkle the vanilla sugar in it and add a drop of vanilla paste. Then mix for 30 more seconds or until stiff peaks. Place the bowl in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Once the pears are really tender, transfer them into a plastic container, along with all the juices and spices, and puree it. I simply used an immersion blender. Also, in order to add some creaminess to it, mix in a couple of spoons of the cream.
Finally, pour the sweet pear mixture into glasses and top it with a spoon of whipped cream. This is the easiest yet really delicious winter-spiced pear cocktail. Moreover, it’s perfect for the holiday season and since is alcohol-free, it’s suitable for everyone.
Enjoy and happy holidays!
PS
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
