Pear Liqueur

Pears, like apples, make amazing desserts, from pies to crumbles. They also make amazing drinks like cider but they are just as good made into a liqueur.

Ingredients:

• 1 large pear, the Williams variety is perfect for this, though any pear will do in a crisis!
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 nutmeg broken into small pieces
• 2 strips of dried orange peel
• 6 cloves
• 500ml/700ml Vodka
• 150g caster sugar

Slow Method:

1. Make sure you have a ripe yet unblemished pear and rinse and pat dry. Pierce the pear all over with a fine skewer
2. Place the pear in a Kilner Jar that it fits quite snugly and will allow your vodka
3. Add the spices and orange peel. Fill jar with vodka and pop on the lid
4. Set on a sunny windowsill for 1 week. It looks rather pretty so is no hardship to have around!
5. After 1 week open the jar and add the sugar
6. Shake well and set aside in a cool dark cupboard for a further week, making sure you give it a shake every day or so to get that sugar to completely dissolve
7. Remove pear and spices from the jar and strain the contents through a sieve lined with a double layer of muslin (or use a coffee filter), I like to do this part twice to get a really clear liqueur.
8. Strain into a clean bottle and test for taste. Add extra sugar if needed.
9. Enjoy your Pear Liqueur

Fast Method:

1. Make sure you have a ripe yet unblemished pear and rinse and pat dry. Pierce the pear all over with a fine skewer
2. Place the pear in a Kilner Jar that it fits quite snugly and will allow your vodka
3. Add the spices, orange peel, sugar and Vodka.
4. Put into a water bath at 65°C for 3 hours.
5. Strain into a clean bottle and test for taste. Add extra sugar if needed.
6. Enjoy your Pear Liqueur

Lucy’s Top Tip: To make the dried orange peel simply use a potato peeler to peel strips of skin off an unwaxed (or well scrubbed and rinsed orange) making sure you just take the skin and not the bitter white pith. Leave this on a radiator or in an airing cupboard overnight, or warm in a very low oven till completely dried. This intensifies that wonderful orange flavour.

For an alternative fast method, use a tin of pears in syrup and leave out the sugar.