Apple and Pear Martini: An Autumn Cocktail
Flavors of autumn fruit – apple and pear – infuse the gin in this off-dry Apple and Pear Martini. Absinthe, apple cider, dry vermouth, aromatic bitters, and muddled fresh sage complete this delightfully unique cocktail… perfect with your holiday meal!
What better way to spend time with your husband than creating a unique autumn cocktail? Mark and I began discussing this cocktail in mid-October… I had my heart set on a cocktail with fall flavors that would pair well with the upcoming holiday meals.
My Thanksgiving menu included an Herb and Apple Brined Turkey and Roasted Delicata Squash With Apple Bourbon Sauce & Sage Browned Butter, and I hoped to create a unique, fall cocktail with complementary flavors.
The challenge would be finding the right balance between the seasonal fruit – apples and pears, the sage, the aromatics, and the booze.
Given that we both prefer dry (as opposed to sweet) cocktails, this would be a bit of a dance as getting fruit-forward flavors without the sweetness can be difficult. Before I ever went shopping, I ruled out liqueurs with their added sweeteners.
Early on, I decided to include absinthe – a distilled spirit (not a liqueur) – derived from botanicals including the stems and flowers of Artemisia absinthium (grand wormwood artemisia).
Fun fact: We had grand wormwood in our garden in New Mexico! It contains many other medicinal and culinary herbs as well, including anise, and fennel. Absinthe requires restraint at 45-75% ABV. 😯 There’s nothing subtle about absinthe!
This is not an impulse cocktail like my favorite dirty martini straight up. Infusing the gin requires 5-7 days. I know. Right? That’s a long time to wait for a cocktail.
Making the Apple Pear and Sage Martini: An Autumn Cocktail
This is not an impulse cocktail like my favorite dirty martini straight up. Infusing the gin requires 5-7 days. I know. Right? That’s a long time to wait for a cocktail.
I had an interesting texting conversation with 2 of our 4 sons. The oldest said “Scotch. Neat. Much easier.” Number 3 son said “you need to be able to make it in less than a minute…” He’s a catering supervisor and frequently ends up bartending! So, I told our sons I’d not be making an Apple, Pear, and Sage Martini for either of them. 🤣
The best part of creating a cocktail recipe is? Testing of course! Our very first attempt was an epic fail. We started with 1/2 shot of absinthe. OMG! SO. STRONG.
We finally “landed” on a veil of absinthe created by adding a few drops to the glass, and swirling it around. The flavor is subtle, and works really well with the fruit, sage, and aromatics in the gin and bitters.
Making the Apple and Pear Martini
Once you’ve committed to making the infused gin, the most time consuming thing is making sure your bar is stocked. The absinthe, vermouth, and bitters should be easy to find at the liquor store, and your market should have the unfiltered and unsweetened apple cider and fresh sage…
Once the gin is infused, the ingredients are gathered, and the ice and cocktail shaker are ready, you can make this cocktail in less than 5 minutes. The recipe serves 2.
Would you consider serving an artisan cocktail like Apple Pear and Sage Martini with your Thanksgiving meal? I would suggest this with a first course or even with the turkey. I would love to hear your thoughts!
Apple Pear and Sage Martini
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Ingredients
Apple and Pear Infused Gin
- 1 bottle gin - (see notes)
- ½ cup dried pear - chopped
- ½ cup dried apple - chopped
Apple Pear and Sage Martini
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- a splash of infused gin
- 6 ounces shots of infused gin
- 3 ounces unfiltered and unsweetened apple cider
- 1.5 ounces dry vermouth
- ice
- a few drops of absinthe
- a few shakes of aromatic bitters
- thin sliced apple - pear, and/or sage leaf to garnish
Instructions
- Muddle the fresh sage leaves with a few drops of the infused gin. Scrape into the cocktail shaker. (See Notes).
- Add the infused gin, the apple cider, the dry vermouth, and ice to the cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously.
- Add a couple of drops of absinthe to each martini glass. Swish it around to coat the glass. Note: Absinthe is VERY strong. Exercise restraint! This ingredient is optional.
- Pour the contents of the cocktail shaker into the martini glasses.
- Add 3-4 shakes of the aromatic bitters to each glass.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.