rescue the pear brandy ...

[mstrimel]

... received as a random corporate gift. I'm baffled. There's no recipes attached to the bottle. Any suggestions good enough to make me *not* throw it out? Summer seems like a good time to try this.

[schway_eats]

This is an old post, but I feel compelled to register my shock and horror at the idea of throwing out a bottle of pear brandy! I echo the poster who said their favorite thing to do is to put it in the freezer and sip it straight. I know that if I were more refined I would drink it room temp but I find it is a little harsh for me that way. I live in Germany and am lucky to be able to find great fruit brandies practically everywhere. Still, the idea of wasting any of it is just horrible!

I came upon this post, actually, because it had dawned on me that fruit brandy would be a great substitute for vodka in certain beverages. I could imagine it being a great ingredient in a martini, for example, though I'd leave the vermouth out in that case and maybe add a little fresh ginger juice and some pear nectar.

[creamsherry]

I agree. Brandy is too good of a spirit to be wasted away whether regular brandy, fruit flavored brandy, or fruit brandy. Especially since it can last decades without a hitch.

[zin1953]

It depends . . . if it is a true eau-de-vie, suc has an Etter Poire William or a Schladerer Williams-Brine, then you are absolutely correct! Sadly, however, there are several large companies that produce fruit-FLAVORED brandies of such poor quality that they are suitable for consumption only during a winter of ice fishing . . . or pouring down the kitchen sink, and praying it doesn't go straight into the ocean.

[yayadave]

The reasons for pouring brandy down the drain are (1) to clean out the pipes and (2) to entertain the crocodiles in the sewer system.

[zin1953]

and avoid the massive hangovers that drinking copious quantities of sweet, cheap $#!+ can provide . . . .

[EvergreenDan]

Ice fishing, ha! Reminds me of a certain week-long canoe trip with my brother and friends where it rained everyday. I brought a liter of Wild Turkey, which was gone after day 2. For som reason my brother brought -- wait for it -- peppermint schnapps. Something about making minty hot cocoa. I refused. He had the nastiest hangover....

[gitrdone330]

I have a 50 dollar bottle of pear brandy I had THOUGHT would be great...but I tried to drink it straight and I think I'd rather drink my own urine. I did find that it mixes OK with sprite so thankfully it's not a total loss...I'm having a hard time finding any other recipies other than of my own concoction...where can I find recipies? Ideas???

[JMF]

What brand?

[StriperGuy]

It goes really well mixed with that faint lemony taste. Connoisseur that you are you should know that sprite is not quite the right mixer for a really good bottle of Poire William...

[barleywino]

get a bottle of Belle de Brillet pear cognac (which you CAN drink straight) and mix it with your other bottle, add some sake (or nigori-sake) or a drop of Canton ginger liqueur

[equinoise]

I had Belle de Brillet at Poppy the other night; fantastic. How does this compare with Clear Creek's Eau de vie?

[barleywino]

the Clear Creek is much more of a distilled "grappa" taste, not something I would drink straight...

[akagarfish]

Bringing back an old topic here, but with the holiday season around the corner, I'd like to mention that a good pear brandy added to holiday foul is wonderful. We love wild duck cooked with pear brandy, but also whenever we roast a chicken or turkey, a little pear brandy between the skin and flesh is a delightful addition.

[StriperGuy]

I LOVE grappa-tasting eau de vie fruit based spirits just drunk neat. In France and Germany they drink a ton of this stuff and would NEVER consider mixing it with anything.

They sometimes have a musty note as well, but that is part of the charm.

[nsenada]

Just bought some relatively inexpensive "Pear William" eau de vie made in Connecticut (Westford Hill). It was quite good neat, actually more of a pronounced pear flavor than I thought it would have, given my limited eau de vie experience. I also did mix some with ginger beer and a bit of nutmeg - quite delicious.

[StriperGuy]

Cool, where did you score this?

Pretty hard to find good US made eau de vie without paying huge$

[nsenada]

Mahhty's in Newton. I think I paid $18 for it, though now that I think of it, it was a tall and thin bottle, so it might not have been a tremendous bargain. Couldn't find a cheaper pear-flavored hard liquor, but might have considered some sort of flavored vodka, had I though of it.

[nsenada]

Just picked up some Clear Creek pear liquer at Federal Wines - can't wait to try it in a cocktail. Joe at Federal thought it would be a better mixer than the eau de vie.

[StriperGuy]

YUM

[barleywino]

try some Jacopo Poli Miele (honey grappa) sometime...might mix well with the pear liqueur

[JMF]

Westford Hill makes some very nice spirits, but they are pricey. $18 for a 200 ml. bottle. That's $67.50 for 750 ml.

[Connor OBrien]

I know this is an old post, but I figured I'd throw my couple of cents in anyway.... A drink I concocted for the bar I work at is:

1 1/2 oz Clear Creek Pear Brandy
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Healthy 1/2 oz 1:1 simple syrup

Pour into a bucket well filled with ice and stir. Gently float over the top of the drink:

1/2 to 3/4 oz dry and fruity Cabernet

It's a pretty, adult drink both the men and the women can get into.

[wrathofcannes]

Either pour it into a nice sweet champagne and serve with poached (or canned) pear wedge. Or try it with Godiva Chocolate Liqueur with lots of ice. Good stuff!

[rebs]

make sidecars with it. they are especially delicious with pear brandy.

[warrenr]

Clear Creek's Pear brandy is a true eau-de-vie, not a liqueur. Eau-de-vie usually means the distillate of a fermented fruit, usually not aged in wood and definitely no sugar added. It takes about 30-50 pounds of perfectly ripe fruit to make a bottle, these are very special drinks. Clear Creek is one of the better distilleries in this country and I think the pear brandy is their best product. Like most of the replies here instruct, don't mix it, drink it straight. I prefer it at room temperature to get the full aromatic experience.

[Bob Brooks]

I love this stuff. Highly recommend that you throw the bottle in the freezer and serve it straight up. It's terrific after dinner on a warm night.

[yayadave]

I was at a restaurant last night where they served pear brandy at another table. They served it an a snifter and made a big to-do about the pear in the bottle. I may have to email them about the bread pudding, though.

[JMF]

What brand is it?

If it's a real, high quality pear brandy it should be drunk like a brandy straight up in a snifter. It won't be sweet.

If it's a pear liqueur it will be sweet and should be drunk straight up or over 1-2 ice cubes as an after dinner cordial.

If it's a cheap pear liqueur then go for using it in cocktails. Basically any recipe that calls for a fruit liqueur could be used since cheap pear liqueur usually has little pronounced pear flavor.

[enrevanche]

Serve it straight-up, with black coffee, after a nice summer supper.

If it's good pear brandy, this will be delightful.

[hatless]

What's wrong with sipping it from a glass straight or on the rocks?

In any case, even if you don't get better responses here, throwing it out seems a little drastic. Though I admit liquor bottles are the best source for recipes around, I just Googled

"pear brandy" recipe

and on the first page of results, I see a champagne cocktail, a dessert, a sauce and a lovely-sounding way to prepare duck or foie gras.

The second page has a chicken recipe, a torte, two bread puddings, and a home-canning project for pear-brandy butter, which sounds a lot tastier than supermarket apple butter. Further down in the results, I see another souffle, a soup, sorbet... ;)

[mstrimel]

thanks Hatless, you're right, i should have been a little more specific with my post! I'm specifically thinking about cocktail recipes here.
I hadn't even thought of drinking the stuff straight, imagining it to be cloyingly sweet (like pears), but it turns out the distillers recommend that I do exactly that:
http://www.clearcreekdistillery.com/P...
They also have a recipe for a cocktail involving ginger syrup and vodka. Not sure why this didn't turn up on my first google search anyway ... my bad!

[Atomica]

No, it ain't sweet. It's what we call "firewater" in my house and depending on what kind you have, so, so good.

[JMF]

Clear Creek is a great distillery. You definately want to sip this straight from snifter like any fine brandy.