Pear Haymaker

BecR's Note:

This cocktail of vodka, ginger ale, lemon, and muddled pear is perfectly tart and refreshing, perfect for sipping on a cool fall evening. Based on the ginger switchel or Haymaker's Punch which was a nonalcoholic vinegar-based drink whose sourness was offset by a hefty dose of ginger and spices; it was named for the eighteenth-century farmers who drank it — literal haymakers. I'm sure they would have approved of this version, tart and fruity and liberally dosed with vodka. Recipe is from the Philadelphia restaurant "Talulah's Garden", via Saveur magazine. Makes two cocktails. Enjoy!

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 2 cocktails

FOR THE GINGER SYRUP

• 1/4 cup sliced peeled ginger
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1 pear, chopped, peeled, and cored (Anjou, Moonglow, Bosc, or any finely textured and fragrant pears are best)
• ginger ale, to top

Directions:

1. Make the ginger syrup: Combine sliced ginger, sugar, and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain out ginger solids and discard, reserving syrup in an airtight container.
2. Divide chopped pear between two 12 oz. tall glasses; muddle in each glass with a wooden muddler. Pour 2 oz. vodka over the pears in each glass, and fill with ice. Add 1/2 oz. ginger syrup and 1/2 oz. lemon juice to each glass, stir to combine, and finish with ginger ale to top.