Pear Martinis

The journalist H.L. Mencken described the martini as “The only American invention as perfect as the sonnet.” Maybe that’s why the libation makes frequent appearances in Hemingway’s novels, and although it is never mentioned by name in The Great Gatsby, could Daisy have been drinking anything but a martini during Gatsby’s insane parties? The roaring twenties solidified the martini as the quintessential cocktail, and while I can’t imagine the flappers desiring the strong drink, they must have known the elegant, yet razor-sharp glass—a work of art in itself—made the perfect accessory as the jazz bands played long into the night.

The iconic martini—two parts gin to one part vermouth, a sliver of lemon peel or a green olive and stirred ONLY (sorry James Bond)–first appeared in the famed Bartender’s Manual in the late 1800s. Since then, the moniker has been usurped and smacked onto sweetened cocktails in a what is pure blasphemy. Add “tini” onto the words apple or key lime and Voilà!, the drink earns a spot on the specialty cocktail menu tucked away in the corner of a table for four. I offer my sincerest apologizes to the purists for this recipe, but these festive pear martinis are too good not to share. The soothing flavor of pear punctuated by a bite of lime amaze the tastebuds. They are drunk at my house from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, and that magnificent glass rimmed with sparkling brown sugar is a vision. 

Pear Martini

Serves 4

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cup Grey Goose pear vodka

1/4 cup vermouth

1/2 cup canned pears with juice

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Wet rim of martini glasses with fresh lime juice and dip rim into brown sugar. Heat the water over high heat and add sugar and stir until a simple syrup forms. Set aside to cool. In a blender, add vodka, vermouth, pears, lime juice and simple syrup. Blend until frothy. Using a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake each portion until ice cold before filling glasses. Garnish with fresh pear or lime if desired.