Spiced Honey and Thyme Pear Pitcher Cocktail
This Spiced Honey and Thyme Pear Pitcher Cocktail is about to become your new favorite fall drink
Raising a glass and toasting to the season couldn’t be easier with this Spiced Honey and Thyme Pear fall cocktail. It only requires a few simple ingredients, a warm and cozy homemade honey spiced simple syrup, oh and did I mention that it’s all mixed together in one pitcher?! So consider drinks at your next fall gathering sorted because this pitcher cocktail is the perfect thing to serve a crowd.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS Spiced Honey and Thyme Pear Pitcher Cocktail
HONEY- using honey to form the simple syrup adds another layer of warmth to this fall cocktail; any honey will do, but I like to use one with more earthy, woodsy, spiced notes if possible
AROMATICS- I use fresh thyme, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, star anise seeds and fresh ginger to build out the flavor profile of the simple syrup. Now sure you could use rosemary instead of thyme, although it is a thyme flavored cocktail so obviously this would change the flavor profile of the drink. However, there is some room to play around with the spices and use more or less of one of them, omit certain ones altogether if you don’t have them, or simply stick to using one or two options only.
PEAR JUICE- I use this one from R.W. Knudsen and have linked a few other options at the bottom of this post, but you can typically find pear juice or pear concentrate in the juice aisle or near the Hispanic or Asian food section of your local grocery store. Make sure whichever one you get that it’s 100% juice.
VODKA- I like using vodka to make this drink a bit lighter, but this also tastes great with bourbon or a spiced rum.
SPARKLING WATER- Since both the simple syrup and pear juice are thicker and heavier, I like to lighten the beverage up with a splash of sparkling water.
HOW TO MAKE A Spiced Honey and Thyme Pear Pitcher Cocktail
This cocktail is the next easiest thing to make besides, well, popping the cork off a bottle.
STEP 1- Make the simple syrup, then let it cool.
STEP 2- Combine the simple syrup, pear juice and vodka in the pitcher and give it a good stir.
STEP 3- Pour the pear juice mixture into glasses, over ice, and finish with a little splash of seltzer water. Garnishes, optional, but definitely festive.
QUESTIONS + MAKE AHEAD SUGGESTIONS
CAN THIS BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME?
Yes, both the syrup and the pitcher portion of the cocktail can be made ahead. For the syrup, once it’s ready, strain out the aromatics, then transfer the syrup to an airtight container (such as a pop top bottle) and store in the fridge until ready to use. The syrup will last for two weeks.
The pitcher portion of the cocktail can be made a few hours up to 24 hours ahead of time. Just loosely cover the top of the pitcher with a towel or plastic wrap, store in the fridge and then give it a good stir before serving.
CAN THE RECIPE BE HALVED, DOUBLED, TRIPLED, ETC.?
Yes, because the ratios are simple enough (1 part syrup to 2 parts liquor to 4 parts pear juice) this recipe is super easy to adjust measurements for, by either cutting them in half, or doubling, tripling, etc. Obviously bigger batches would just need to be served in a bigger pitcher, or even a punch bowl.
WHAT ABOUT LEFTOVERS?
If you happen to have any of the pear mixture left, and sparkling water has not been added to it, you can simply transfer it to an airtight bottle (such as a pop top bottle) and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. Then, when you’re ready to enjoy it, simply pour in a glass and proceed to top with sparkling water.
DO YOU REALLY NEED ALL OF THOSE AROMATICS FOR THE SIMPLE SYRUP? ARE THERE ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?
Yes and no. I mean, sure you could use rosemary instead of thyme, although it is a thyme flavored cocktail so obviously this would change the flavor profile of the drink. However, the other flavors are definitely adjustable so feel free to play around and use more or less of one of the spices, omit certain ones altogether if you don’t have them, or simply stick to using one or two options only.
WHAT ABOUT THE THYME-INFUSED ICE CUBES?
These are so fun, aren’t they?! And while they are most certainly not necessary, they are a really easy way to jazz up a simple cocktail, especially if you’re serving this at a party. Just add a few sprigs to each cube, then fill with water and freeze as you normally would.
CAN THIS BE MADE WITH ANY OTHER ALCOHOL BESIDES VODKA?
Yes, vodka is a lighter option but this cocktail also tastes great with bourbon or a spiced rum.
CAN THIS BE MADE NON-ALCOHOLIC?
Yes, of course. Simply use your favorite non-alcoholic spirit replacement, instead of the vodka. You can also opt out of a spirit replacement completely and use just the simple syrup and pear juice. However, when pouring the juice mixture into the glasses, use less mixture and more of the sparkling water. Essentially you will want to use a 1-to-1 ratio, or half a glass of juice mixture and half a glass of sparkling water.
WHAT DO YOU SERVE WITH THIS COCKTAIL?
This is a great cocktail to enjoy all on it’s own, on a cozy fall afternoon, or around an evening fire, but it’s also great for hosting, paired with a nice cheese and charcuterie board, or a decadent fall appetizer like this or this, or a nice hearty fall sandwich.
WHAT PITCHER AND GLASSES SHOULD YOU USE?
Work with what you’ve got and use the pitcher and glasses you have. For me personally, I use this pitcher and these glasses (in medium), both made from recylced glass and available on SISTAIN (which also happens to be where I got the sphere ice cube mold that I used as well as the linen napkins you see featured in this post).
Spiced Honey and Thyme Pear Pitcher Cocktail
YIELDS APPROXIMATELY EIGHT 5-6 OUNCE COCKTAILS
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE HONEY + THYME SPICED SYRUP
1 cup honey
1 cup water
A giant handful of fresh thyme sprigs
4-6 cinnamon sticks
2-4 cardamom pods
2-4 star anise seeds
1/2”-1” knob of fresh ginger, sliced
FOR THE COCKTAIL
4 cups pear juice (I used this brand, but I’ve linked several others below)
2 cups vodka
Sparkling water, to serve
Ice cubes (thyme in them, optional), to serve
Optional: extra thyme sprigs, cinnamon sticks + pear slices to garnish
DIRECTIONS
Combine all of the syrup ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat to medium and allow the mixture to continue simmering, stirring occasionally (I like to use a wooden spoon for this as metal can sometimes change the flavors), until the liquid has thickened slightly (you can test it by seeing if it lightly coats the back of a spoon). Remove from the heat, place in the fridge and allow to cool completely before proceeding.
Once the syrup has cooled, strain out the thyme and spices. Discard those and add the syrup to the pitcher along with the pear juice and vodka. Give it a stir and, if time allows, place the mixture in the fridge to chill prior to serving it.
Once you’re ready to serve the drinks, add a large ice cube to the glass of your choice (I prefer larger ones as they melt slower thus keeping the flavor of the cocktail stronger for longer, but a few small cubes will work, too). Fill 3/4 of the way of the the pear juice mixture (approximately 4-5 ounces total), then top with sparkling water (approximately 1-2 ounces total; you can also skip the sparkling water if you prefer) and garnish. Cheers!
NOTES
The syrup can be made in advance. Simply strain out the aromatics, transfer the syrup to an airtight container (such as a pop top bottle) and store in the fridge until ready to use. The syrup will last for two weeks.
The pitcher portion of the cocktail can be made a few hours up to 24 hours ahead of time. Just loosely cover the top of the pitcher with a towel or plastic wrap, store in the fridge and then give it a good stir before serving.
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ITEMS + INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
