Mulled Wine Poached Pear Prosecco Cocktail
The Holiday season is right around the corner! This is one of my favorite times of year where we can start planning and plotting menus and hosting a few more get-togethers with friends before the madness begins...aaannnnd all that stress of actually doing it all hasn't quite set in yet. The calm before the storm as it were, but let's try to not make this year so stressful, okay?!
One of my favorite things to plot pre-holiday is a new seasonal cocktail recipe. A go-to for the start of November through the end of December that works as a welcoming toast for guests and also easy to pack up on-the-go to bring to someone else's party. This year I'm very into mulling spices. They can be delicate or bold and have some pretty surprising spice combinations you can experiment with. Basically, I think they are incredibly underappreciated and often thought best for grandparents and hot grog - not the case!
Move over pumpkin spice, you more mature and sophisticated counterpart is ready for her closeup!! In fact, you can learn a bit more about making your own mulling spices and some cool combos I've put together over here.
For this year's cocktail - I'm taking my love of mulling spice and turning them into fragrant wine poached pears AND THEN turning those into a Prosecco cocktail. Boom - all the holiday hits in one glass.
And we're not using just any Prosecco - special occasions call for special wine and Santa MargheritaProsecco Superiore is a classic Italian wine brand grounded in elegance with fruity flavor notes of pineapple and Rennet apples which marry perfectly with our spiced pears.
- Mulled Wine Poached Pear Prosecco Cocktail -
Makes 4 cocktails
INGREDIENTS
1 half of a mulled wine poached pear (directions below)
1/2 oz honey
1/3 cup apple cider
1 dash of citrus bitters (optional)
Star anise for garnish
DIRECTIONS
In a cocktail shaker add pear, honey and apple cider. Muddle mixture and fill with ice. Shake well and strain 1 - 2 oz of spiced pear mixture into a coupe, top with Prosecco. Don't forget to cheers!
WINE POACHED PEARS
2 pears (Bartlett, Anjou or Bosc work best for poaching)
1 bottle Santa Margherita Chianti Classico Riserva
2 oz honey
DIRECTIONS
Remove skin from pears, cut in half and hollow out any seeds using a melon scoop. In a sauce pan add mulling spices and wine, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer adding pears carefully in. Simmer for 20 minutes, turning pears over half way through. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Can be made a day ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator before serving.
The mulling spice blend really worked well infused into Santa Margherita's Chianti Classico Riserva, which is a complex red wine with not only earthy tones but notes of cherries and plums. It is quite delicious, so I might suggest even saving the extra mulled wine to enjoy warmed on a chilly evening. Just strain out the whole spices and store in a sealed container or pour into the original wine bottle!
Sweet, fruity, yet packed with holiday spice. This holiday cocktail is both refreshing and bold...it's really going to get people excited, you guys! It feels like a celebration, but perfect for serving at gatherings big and small.
I hope that you try serving this up at home or even bring it to party as a surprise. Don't forget to save the extra poached pears to enjoy with ice cream...because: Holidays! I love the holidays - wishing you all a fantastic start to the season!
Cheers!
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