Around this time of year, it’s nice to break out your bartender skills and experiment with batched cocktails. If you haven’t heard of the term, it describes cocktail recipes that make more than a single serving.
Batched cocktails are typically great for serving crowds, but, during this time, I put batched cocktails into the same category as weekend meal prep. Do some work on Sunday and enjoy the fruits of your labor all week. After all, every day around the holidays is festive enough to merit a cocktail while listening to Nat King Cole sing carols.
So, try this slightly sweet and fruity cocktail if you need enough sustenance to last you through the work from home, school from home, whatever may come this week, week. Cheers!
Orasella Batched Pear Sidecar
Makes 6 servings
6 oz brandy
*Caramelized pear purée, approximately 1 cup (full recipe, to follow)
3oz Orasella cherry syrup
3oz lemon juice
18oz pear cider
3 strong dashes angostura bitters
Place all ingredients in a large pitcher or mixing glass. Stir and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Using a fine meshed strainer, strain over a large ice cube into a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon peel and an Orasella cherry.
*Caramelized Pear Purée
2 ripe pears (like bosc)
4 heaping teaspoons powdered sugar
4 cloves
1 star anise
1/4c brandy
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut each pair in half and lightly score the cut side in a cross hatch pattern about 1/4" apart. Scoop out the core of each half forming a little bowl. Stab each half with a clove, and rub 1 heaping teaspoon of powdered sugar into the scored side. Pears go sugared side down onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Divide the star anise into 4 pieces and tuck a slice under each pear. Bake the pears sugared side down for 20 minutes, until sugar on the edges is bubbly and caramelized and the pears are soft to the touch.
Flip the pears and remove the clove studs. Transfer the baked pears into a blender with the brandy, making sure to mop up any stray bits of caramel from the pan. Blend on medium-high until you get a smooth puree (about 3 minutes). Transfer to a non-reactive container and store in the fridge up to 2 weeks.