DIY Pear Liqueur Recipe

The answer to "Should I make my own pear liqueur?" is YES!

A mason jar of DIY pear liqueur.

Serious Eats / Liam Boylan

Why It Works

  • Homemade pear liqueur made with brandy gives you the sweetness of a fruit liqueur and the dryness of brandy in one ingredient.
  • It's easy, cheap, and better-tasting than the store-bought stuff.
  • The strained fruit used to make this liqueur is great in desserts or on ice cream.
  • Any pears will work in this recipe.

I am obsessed with Champagne cocktails. So when I hit upon a DIY ingredient that pairs well with sparkling wine, it's time for me to buy bubbly by the case. One Thanksgiving, I happened upon a delicious fizzy cocktail made with sparkling wine, fresh pear syrup, and gin, which launched a new sub-obsession—finding ways to combine pears and Champagne.

So far, my favorite is a homemade pear liqueur made with brandy, because you get the sweetness of a fruit liqueur and a little dryness and rich flavor from brandy bundled into one ingredient. During the winter, many of the more showy fruits are out of season, but you can still find decent pears. (You have to love a fruit that goes equally well with stinky cheese and pork chops as it does with Champagne and brandy.)

What's Available to Buy

Though pear liqueur isn't something you'd find in every corner liquor store, places like BevMo tend to stock it. Pear brandy is a liquor distilled from pears, and is sometimes called eau de vie de poire. These are the ones you'll see with the little pear in the bottle, and there's no sugar added. Pear liqueur, on the other hand, is a spirit plus sugar and pear flavoring. The spirit can be brandy or a liquor made from pears. Liqueurs made with a pear eau de vie as the base tend to be brighter and fruitier, while the brandy-based versions have deeper undertones.

Two of the standout liqueurs made with a pear-spirit base are Rothman & Winter's Orchard Pear and Mathilde Pear. Both are lovely and delicate with a strong flavor of fresh pears. Xante and Brillet pear liqueurs are made with a Cognac base. While the pear flavors are strong, the spirit also comes through and makes it about more than just a fruity beverage.

Why DIY?

Making your own pear eau de vie is an ambitious task, but making pear liqueur with another spirit as the base hits the "Yes, Make It Yourself!" trifecta: It's easy, cheap, and better-tasting than the store-bought stuff. My favorite is a brandy base, but you could also try it with whiskey or vodka. Pears are a flexible ingredient, so if you wanted to try a different second flavor in place of vanilla, you could go with cinnamon, ginger, orange, or almond instead.

Use It!

This liqueur is a natural with Champagne—with or without a little lemon. For a stronger Champagne cocktail, you could splash in a little brandy, too. Speaking of bubbles, I like to add this pear liqueur to club soda for a lower-alcohol cocktail refresher. We're also big fans of this pear and tequila cocktail recipe from Gramercy Tavern in NY.

If you're feeling creative, use your homemade pear liqueur in place of triple sec in a Sidecar. Using the Mr. Potato Head method, you could easily swap this in for triple sec in other classics. What other cocktails do you think need a little pear?

February 2012

Recipe Details

DIY Pear Liqueur Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 15 mins
Active 10 mins
Total 168 hrs 25 mins
Serves 18 servings
Makes 2 1/4 cups

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe pears, divided (organic preferred)

  • 1 vanilla bean

  • 1 cup brandy

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 cup water

Directions

  1. Wash and chop one pear, discarding seeds and core. Leave the skin on. Split and scrape vanilla bean.

  2. Place pear and vanilla bean in a sealable glass jar and cover with brandy. The jar should have enough room to add another cup of liquid later in the process. Seal and shake, then let steep for 2 days. Remove vanilla bean, and then let steep for another 3 days.

  3. Chop the second pear, discarding seeds and core. Add it to a pot, along with water and sugar, then stir and bring to a boil on medium heat, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Let syrup mixture cool.

  4. Once cooled, pour the syrup (with the fruit) into the steeping jar. Shake and let steep for 2 days. Taste, and if desired flavor is achieved, strain through a fine-mesh strainer and then a coffee filter into a bottle or jar.

Special Equipment

Fine-mesh strainer, coffee filter, paring knife

Notes

You can substitute another spirit for brandy or replace the vanilla with another spice like ginger or a cinnamon stick. Vanilla releases its flavor a lot more quickly than pears do. This is also true of other strong ingredients like ginger and cinnamon. So be sure to taste your liqueur as it infuses to see when you need to remove your secondary flavoring ingredient.

Straining through the coffee filter is recommended because it catches small, hard-to-see bits of pear that, when left in the liqueur, cause it to develop off flavors more quickly. I recommend keeping it no longer than two months. Refrigeration is not needed.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
67 Calories
0g Fat
11g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 18
Amount per serving
Calories 67
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 11g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 1mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 3mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)