Switch Up the Fall Flavor With These Pear and Whisky Cocktails

While apples get all the attention come autumn, try your hand at one of these cocktail recipes that put pears front and center.

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How about them pears? While apples tend to steal the spotlight in the fall, pears are just as diverse. And since you can tease out pear notes in many whiskies, take advantage of the season’s fresh bounty and make these whisky cocktails. “The subtle caramel notes of whisky create a lovely dialogue with the subtle sweetness of pears,” says Ricardo Alvarado, bar manager of Mama Delia and Bordel in Chicago. “Together, these two make for a well-balanced cocktail that’s simple, evocative, and powerful all at the same time.”

3 Pear and Whisky Cocktails to Try Now

Nothing Comp-Pears to You: Poached pear is featured twice in this autumnal cocktail, both as a garnish and an essential ingredient.

Get the Recipe: Nothing Comp-Pears to You

The Fall of Whiskey: Cool cider and fresh pear balance out spicy rye in this cocktail, which is meant to capture the transition into Fall.

Get the Recipe: The Fall of Whiskey

The Affordable Pear Act: This riff on the Whiskey Sour uses baking spices and Asian pears to deliver fall flavors and a layer of complexity.

Get the Recipe: The Affordable Pear Act

How to Pick a Pear

Choosing the most appropriate pear and enjoying it at peak ripeness can make or break a recipe. For any variety, select a pear with no bruises or brown spots. Then check for ripeness by gently pressing near the stem—it should give a little. If not, let it further ripen on the countertop. Once a pear is perfectly ripe, keep it refrigerated.

Asian
Season: Sept.-Nov.
Flavor: Subtly sweet
Tip: Handle carefully; these bruise easily. They remain firm when ripe, like an apple.
Other uses: Green salads, slaws

Bartlett
Season: Aug.-Feb.
Flavor: Soft, sweetest of the pears
Tip: Buy green and let ripen on the countertop to a yellow-green.
Other uses: Baked goods, savory dishes, cheeseboards

Bosc
Season: Sept.-Apr.
Flavor: Honey sweet with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg
Tip: Bosc ripen before they’re soft, so they’ll be firm when ripe.
Other: uses Poaching, baking

D’Anjou
Season: Oct.-July
Flavor: Sweet with a hint of citrus
Tip: D’Anjou pears don’t change color when ripe; use the firmness test instead.
Other uses: Salads, baking

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Whisky and Shrub Cocktails Are Perfect For Summer Sipping

These whisky cocktail recipes incorporate shrubs—a mixture of fruit, sugar, and vinegar—to delicious results.

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If you want the taste of summer to last, make some shrubs—a mixture of fruit, sugar, and vinegar. In addition to being a way to preserve fresh summer flavors, shrubs also complement whisky. “They add a light, refreshing component to a cocktail,” says Trent O’Connor, partner of Whisky Neat bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “The sweetness of the shrub is a great balance with the bold spirit.” Try these shrub recipes with whisky, other spirits, or even mixers like soda and lemonade.

4 Shrub and Whisky Cocktails to Try

The Western Rim: A blackberry-peppercorn shrub combines with prosecco, lemon juice, bourbon, and mint for a crisp and refreshing sip.

Get the Recipe: The Western Rim

Shōga Koshō: Add some heat to your whiskey ginger with this cocktail that incorporates a Thai Chile shrub.

Get the Recipe: Shōga Koshō

My Shrub’Rona: This cocktail is summer in a glass thanks to a pineapple-mint shrub and Licor 43, making it approachable even for non-whisky drinkers.

Get the Recipe: My Shrub’Rona

Plum and Mr. Rye: A zesty twist in a Whiskey Smash, this drink mixes rye whiskey with a plum shrub, lemon juice, and bitters.

Get the Recipe: Plum and Mr. Rye

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Indulge in a Creamy Whisky Cocktail This Winter

These cocktails use ingredients like coconut milk, stout beer, and heavy cream to deliver wonderful spice-driven wintery drinks.

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It’s the season of splurge, and one of the best ways to make a whisky even more lush is to lace it with creaminess. You’ll find that the complementary and contrasting notes of rich heavy cream and coconut milk blend brilliantly with the spirit. “Milk and other creamy ingredients can actually heighten those treasured baking spice flavors in whiskies while simultaneously toning down their intensity,” explains Andra “AJ” Johnson, beverage director of Serenata and Zumo in Washington, D.C. The cocktails below perfect that balance with silky satisfaction.

Mix Up one of these Winter Cocktail Treats

Ciudad Paraíso: Get tropical with this cocktail which mixes bourbon with falernum, coconut milk, and a coconut water hibiscus shrub.

Get the Recipe: Ciudad Paraíso

Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire: Nutty amaretto combines with Firewater bitters for this cocktail that takes its name from a classic holiday image.

Get the Recipe: Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire

Bear Hug: This cocktail is meant to give the feeling of a warm embrace, with Tennessee whiskey mixing with espresso syrup, heavy cream, and Coca-Cola.

Get the Recipe: Bear Hug

Flip It and Reverse It: Silky and boozy, this cocktail combines blended whiskey with amaro, tiki spices syrup, milk stout, and an egg.

Get the Recipe: Flip It and Reverse It

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Batch Up a Slow Cooker Cocktail to Keep Warm All Winter Long

Your slow cooker can make more than dinner. Batch up warming whisky cocktails using these recipes that can serve a crowd.

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Slow cookers meld the flavors of hearty soups and savory stews, and they can do the same for cocktails. A Crock-Pot is the perfect vessel for make-ahead cocktails infused with warm fall spices. “Make sure the Crock-Pot is on a low setting,” says Christoph Dornemann, bar manager at Arnaud’s French 75 Bar in New Orleans, “and have extra stored in the fridge to top off after the Crock-Pot is more than halfway empty.” With guests able to serve themselves, slow-cooker cocktails are like set-it-and-forget-it entertaining.

Get Cooking With These Heated Recipes

Add some tropical fruit to the popular spiked hot cider with this recipe which incorporates summer and fall flavors.

Get the Recipe: Smoke on the Water

This Hot Toddy riff gets its name by combining Kentucky bourbon with the French aperitif Dubonnet Rouge.

Get the Recipe: From Bardstown to Paris

This fruity take on the classic Hot Toddy uses maple syrup, blackberry jelly, and a Tennessee whiskey base.

Get the Recipe: Blackberry Lemon Pancake Toddy

Part Irish Coffee, part Manhattan, this bourbon-based cocktail is perfect for a brisk fall day.

Get the Recipe: Moment of Clarity

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