Pear Tree Martini Smoke Rise Inn Recipe

Are you ready for another summer cocktail recipe? Here's one for a Pear Tree Martini that Randy Polo from the Smoke Rise Inn shares with us. It uses St. Germain Liqueur.

Are you familiar with St. Germain Liqueur?

St. Germain liqueur is made from Alpine elderflowers and makes simply superb sipping by itself, but with a splash of Champagne or club soda, it’s a summer cocktail. Whether you’re headed to the lake or planning an elegant dinner, St. Germain elderflower liqueur is something special. The 12"-tall bottle is as stunning as any perfume bottle, and makes an impressive gift. In terms of new and exciting, when was the last time anyone had an elderflower martini?

The delicate white elderflower blossoms grow on trees at the foothills of the Alps. As pretty as they are to look at, they are actually edible—or at least, drinkable, when made into liqueur. To that end, locals handpick the blossoms, which are distilled in small batches into a 100% elderflower blossom 40-proof liqueur made by French artisan company St. Germain. Take off the cap and the lychee aroma hits you immediately. There’s a bit of peach, some orange that evolves to grapefruit, and also some pear.

Don’t just take my word for it. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur was a double gold medal winner at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This makes it the new hot drink you can cool off with—straight up, on ice, or in the recipe below. Who would imagine so many exciting things from such sweet little blossoms?

Pear Tree Martini

1 ½ ounces of St. Germain Liqueur.
1 ½ ounces of Pear Vodka (Hangar One Spiced Pear or Grey Goose La Poire)
½ ounce Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice.
A Dash of Bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a slice of D'Anjou Pear and a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.

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Thank you, Randy!

By the way, the St. Germain website is very entertaining. Check out the story of St. Germain, the harvest process, and a list of seasonal cocktails made with St. Germain [bien sûr!]. You can find St. Germain on Twitter and on Facebook - since many of you are wondering. This all assumes you are of age, of course ;-).

I've never had a Pear Tree Martini and can't wait to try one -- ideally sitting outdoors in the patio garden of the Smoke Rise Inn. Will you join me?

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