Happy holidays! I am currently in Vermont with my family. The snow here is so pure white and when it is set among the deep forest greens of the pines, it is an absolutely winter heaven. While I have lived up North now for over 10 years, it has been a very long time since I have actually enjoyed snow. Pittsburgh winters, where I went to college, were absolutely brutal. Add to that the fact that I was usually trudging through this snow in order to get to an early morning class, and well I did not have such tender feelings towards snow. The same feeling really applies to snowing in NYC. Snow is best enjoyed in wilderness with majestic mountains as a backdrop.

This is going to be a quick little post. I wanted to share one of my favorite cocktails, an Asian Pear + Sage Collins. I first made a version of this drink several years ago and absolutely love its simplicity. Sage is one of my favorite herbs and when I think of winter, it is the herb that I immediately think of. There is something about sage just brings up images of cozy fires and the mouthwatering smells of a day long roast cooking in the oven. The light, delicate sweetness of Asian pears really complements the unabashedly strong sage. In addition to the sage, I am doing a honey syrup with a floral honey such as cherry blossom or orange blossom. Pears, sage, and honey are really just wonderful together. Shaken together with some gin, they create a cocktail that is deceptively light. The bold but clean flavors found in this drink makes this a crazy easy cocktail to drink lots of. Seriously, you may need to be careful when serving these to your guests. I made these for TK’s family over Thanksgiving and before we knew it each of us were 3-4 drinks in and it was getting really fun in that kitchen.

All of the components of this cocktail can easily be batched ahead of time. Then all your guests have to do is combine, shake, and serve!

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A S I A N  P E A R  +  S A G E  C O L L I N S
makes 8 drinks

for the pear purée
2 medium asian pears, peeled, pitted, and quartered
1.5 ounces lemon juice
10 sage leaves

for the sage honey syrup
1/2 cup floral honey (such as cherry blossom or orange blossom)
10 sage leaves

for one cocktail
1.5 ounces gin
1.5 ounces pear purée
.5 ounce sage honey syrup
.75 ounce lemon juice
soda water, to top
1 sage leaf, for garnish

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make the pear purée
Combine the pears, lemon juice, sage leaves, and 1/2 cup water in a blender. Blend until smooth.

make the sage honey syrup
In a small sauce pan, combine the honey with 1/2 cup of water. Over medium-high heat, bring up to a boil, stir to melt the honey. Add the sage leaves, and immediately turn the stove off. Cover and allow to cool completely.

make one cocktail
In a cocktail shaker, combine the gin, pear puree, sage honey syrup, and lemon juice. Add ice and shake vigorously until the shaker is frosted over. Pour into a coupe glass, top with a splash of soda water, and garnish with a sage leaf.

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