Pear Cobbler Cocktail

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
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Updated on 05/13/21
Pear cobbler cocktail recipe

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Infuse: 12 hrs
Total: 12 hrs 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
250 Calories
0g Fat
38g Carbs
1g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 250
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 283mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 38g 14%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 30g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 6mg 28%
Calcium 20mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 276mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Fresh, delicious pears start to reach their peak in early autumn and the pear cobbler cocktail is a fantastic way to enjoy this tasty fruit. The recipe takes the classic brandy cobbler and transforms it for autumn and winter entertaining. It makes a great addition to the Thanksgiving table.

This recipe has a classic style, based on the traditional cobbler formula that relies heavily on fresh fruits. It has a few modern twists, though. For one, you'll pair a dry sherry with a sweet pear brandy (or pear liqueur, if you like). It also requires a homemade cinnamon syrup. Yet, it is the drunken pears that steal the show and really make the cocktail something special.

You really only need one pear to make a round of drinks, but having two pears of different varieties adds extra color and flavor to the pear cobbler. You might, for instance, have one Bosc pear and one Bartlett pear or even choose one green and one red Bartlett pear. The leftover pieces of pear can simply be a snack or you can reserve them and make your own pear liqueur.

The nice thing about soaking pears in liquor is that the fruit picks up the flavor of the brandy. At the same time, it adds a little extra flavor to the brandy. Also, the brandy helps preserve the flesh of the pear so it will not turn brown, a common problem with fruits like apples and pears due to oxidation.

Ingredients

For the Drunken Pears:

  • 2 medium fresh pears

  • 2 cups brandy

For the Cocktail:

  • 1 1/2 ounces pear-infused brandy

  • 1 1/2 ounces fino sherry

  • 1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup

  • Red or green grapes, for garnish

  • Drunken pears, for garnish

Steps to Make It

Make Drunken Pears

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for drunken pears
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Rinse the pears.

    Rinse pears
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck 

  3. Dice the pears. An easy way to do this is to cut each fruit into four or five thick slices. Stack the slices and make two cuts lengthwise, then a single cut in the opposite direction.

    Dice pears
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Place the pear pieces into a jar and pour enough brandy over them so they are fully submerged.

    Place pear into a jar
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Cover the jar and allow it to sit in a cool place for 12 to 24 hours. There's no need to refrigerate it. When your drunken pears are ready, it's time to build the cocktail. For this, you will use the same brandy the pears were soaked in, which should be gently infused with a little fruit flavor.

    Cover the jar
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Make the Pear Cobbler

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Pear cocktail ingredients
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Combine the pear brandy, sherry, and cinnamon syrup in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well.

    Combine sherry and pear brandy
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. In a chilled glass, begin building the cobbler by intermingling crushed ice or small ice cubes with drunken pears and a few grapes until the glass is full.

    Ingredients in glass
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Strain the contents of the shaker into the prepared glass.

    Strain contents
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Top with a few more drunken pear pieces and grapes if desired.

    Top with drunken pear pieces
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Serve and enjoy!

    Serve and enjoy
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Tip

  • Have a cocktail skewer or toothpick nearby so you can pick out and eat the pears and grapes. Though it's not a garnish, this is one time when you're actually encouraged to eat the drink's fruit. It's part of the fun, so ignore "proper" etiquette and enjoy your drunken pears.

How Strong Is a Pear Cobbler?

The pear cobbler is not a gentle cocktail. In fact, it mixes up to the same strength as the average fruity martini. That should fall somewhere in the 22 percent ABV (44 proof) range and doesn't account for the alcohol in the pears.

Choosing a Pear Brandy

A trip to the liquor store should come up with at least one pear-flavored liquor option. Pear brandies tend to come in two styles. One is a true pear brandy that is distilled from pears rather than grapes. The other is more like a liqueur that has been sweetened. The latter is rather common in many fruit brandies (apple, cherry, etc.) and tends to be a less expensive option. You can also look for a pear-flavored eau de vie.

With the recent cocktail renaissance, many distillers are choosing to forgo the sweeteners that have been added to fruit brandies for decades. This means that true pear brandy which is no sweeter than the average brandy or cognac is becoming more readily available. This is great news for cocktails, though you can expect to pay more for these offerings. 

Quite often, to find a great pear brandy, you need to look to craft distillers. St. George Spirits and Clear Creek are two brands that produce very impressive pear brandies and they're available throughout the U.S. Also, look to the offerings of your local distillery because many of the smallest producers are making fantastic pear brandies.

DIY Pear Brandy

Another option, which will take more time, is to make your own pear-infused brandy. Simply choose your favorite bottle of standard brandy, slice up a few pears, and combine them in an infusion jar. To get the maximum flavor, the infusion should take about one week. Strain out the pears, and you have a tasty pear brandy without the sweetener.

Try a Pear Liqueur

Pear liqueurs are certainly another option, but they are sweet (as all liqueurs are). If you choose to go this route, be sure to choose a fino sherry rather than an oloroso. Finos are drier and less rich, which will retain the balance with the sweeter liqueur. Today, you can find some fantastic pear liqueurs; top recommendations include Berentzen, Bols, and Mathilde.