Bourbon Pear Fizz

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Everything I do is affected by the seasons. Once the weather starts to change, so does my taste for different food and drinks. And when fall starts creeping in, I immediately want pears, bourbon, maple, cinnamon, and all those comforting flavors.

The Bourbon Pear Fizz is the perfect incoming fall cocktail. It’s refreshing enough for those warmer early fall afternoons but has all the cozy flavors I start craving as soon as the evenings cool down. I’ll be making this one straight through the holidays.

Why You’ll Love This Bourbon Pear Fizz

As usual, I like to do things that don’t take too much fuss.

A lot of pear cocktails require homemade pear simple syrup, which is delicious but kind of a pain to make. If you’re just looking for a fall cocktail that hits all the marks and is easy and quick to make, you’ve just found it.

Instead of making a pear syrup, I use pear nectar. It’s absolutely delicious, you can find it right at the grocery store, and it gives you plenty of pear flavor without cooking anything first.

The pear mixes so nicely with bourbon, while fresh lemon keeps everything bright. A little maple syrup brings in that cozy fall sweetness, and seltzer gives the drink its fizz.

It’s flavorful without being heavy, which makes it such a nice transitional drink between summer and fall.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You only need a handful of ingredients for this cocktail:

• Bourbon – When I think about fall and warm, cozy cocktails, bourbon is the liquor I reach for. Its deeper flavor works so well with pear and maple.
• Pear nectar – This is my easy shortcut instead of making pear simple syrup. Look for it with the juices and nectars at the grocery store.
• Fresh lemon juice – A hefty squeeze of fresh lemon balances the sweetness of the pear and maple.
• Maple syrup – Just a teaspoon adds another layer of comforting fall flavor.
• Seltzer – This keeps the cocktail light and gives it that bubbly finish.
• Pear and cinnamon stick – For a simple fall garnish.

You can also use ginger beer instead of seltzer. The little bit of ginger with the pear and bourbon would be really tasty.

How to Make a Bourbon Pear Fizz

This drink comes together in about five minutes.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the bourbon, pear nectar, fresh lemon juice, and maple syrup.

Give everything a good shake until it’s nice and cold.

Pour the mixture over ice in a large rocks glass.

Then top it off with seltzer or ginger beer for the fizz.

And if you really don’t feel like getting out the cocktail shaker, you don’t have to. You can pour the bourbon, pear nectar, lemon juice, and maple syrup right into an ice-filled glass, give it a really good stir, and then add your seltzer.

Easy!

The Garnish Makes It Feel Like Fall

You can get fancy and slice your pear the long way, making one nice thin full slice to tuck along the side of the glass.

Or just cut a regular pear slice and hang it right on the edge.

Then add a cinnamon stick.

It’s such a simple garnish, but the pear and cinnamon immediately make the drink look like fall.

Try a Smoked Cinnamon Stick

Now, if you would like to take this drink to the next level, you can make it a little more complex by smoking your cinnamon stick.

It’s super easy and gives the cocktail an unusual smokiness that goes great with bourbon.

Using a lighter, light the end of the cinnamon stick over your prepared cocktail. Keep it under the flame until the end begins to smoke, then dunk it right into the drink.

It does give the cocktail a pretty full smoke flavor, so you have to like that sort of thing.

I tried it both ways, and for easy sipping I actually prefer it without the smoke. But I know some of my friends would absolutely love that smoky flavor, so it’s fun to try both ways and see which one you like.

Perfect for Early Fall Through the Holidays

In summer, we’re frequently looking for something that will cool us off. Once fall arrives, I feel like I want to slow down a bit and enjoy slowly sipping on a nice flavorful cocktail.

That’s why I like this one so much for those first weeks of fall. The temperature can still be hot during the day, but by evening you know fall is just around the corner.

And because pear, bourbon, maple, and cinnamon all work so beautifully together, this cocktail fits right in with my favorite fall cocktails and would also be perfect for a Thanksgiving cocktail later in the season.

Final Thoughts

Either way you garnish and serve this drink, it’s sure to be a hit.

It has juicy pear, smooth bourbon, tart lemon, just a tidbit of maple syrup, and that bubbly finish from the seltzer. And best of all, there’s no homemade pear syrup or complicated prep involved.

If bourbon is your drink of choice once the weather cools down, I have even more whiskey drinks and bourbon cocktails to try.

Welcome in the first few days of fall with my Bourbon Pear Fizz, and you’ll be pulling out the sweaters by the second drink.

Happy Fall Y’All!