Author Archives: Nenad

Spiced Brandy – Pear Punch Recipe

by chow.com

pear brandy

This punch uses the flavors of pears, cinnamon, and brandy to create a cocktail that screams autumn. It’s slightly fizzy from the pear cider, has a touch of sweet spice from the cinnamon schnapps, and has a gentle bite from the Courvoisier. Serve it up or enjoy over ice at a Thanksgiving gathering or Christmas party.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 cups Courvoisier, chilled
  • 4 cups 100 percent pear juice, such as Knudsen or Santa Cruz, chilled
  • 1/2 cup cinnamon schnapps, such as Goldschläger
  • 4 (12-ounce) bottles hard pear cider, chilled
  • 1 ice block (optional)
  • 1 medium pear, cored and thinly sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Place the Courvoisier, pear juice, and cinnamon schnapps in a 5-quart punch bowl and stir to combine.
  2. Gently stir in the pear cider (do not overmix or your punch will be flat). Float the ice block in the punch and add the pear slices. (Alternatively, the ice block can be omitted and the punch served over ice.) Serve immediately.

Pear Ricky Cocktail

by discoginferno.wordpress.com

pear brandy

1½ ozs. dry pear brandy (birnebrande)

¼ large lime
Iced club soda
2 wedge slices fresh ripe pear
Put three ice cubes into 8-oz. glass. Add pear brandy. Squeeze lime above drink and drop into glass. Add soda. Stir. Fasten the pear slices to a cocktail spear and place across rim of glass. Munch pear piecemeal while you drink.

For this recipe I used Okanagan Spirits Poire Williams Pear Brandy, which I picked up on a recent tour of their Vernon distillery.

This is a very refreshing summer drink, light and dry and aromatic. The delightful pear flavour of the Poire Williams shines through, but is also nicely balanced by the lime. This is one I will definitely make again.

The Rickey dates back to the late 19th century, but the PH&BB is the earliest reference I’ve found so far to the pear variety. It shows up a few places online, occasionally calling specifically for ½ oz. lime juice, and sometimes including a bit of simple syrup.

 

What does slivovitz mean to Serbs?

Momo Kapor, famous Serbian novelist, very vividly describes the meaning of plum brandy Slivovitz to Serbs:

“… He tasted all the drinks of the world by then, but none of them happen to be so severe and of so specific flavors, whose sip strokes the palate first, and just few moments later burns the womb- the smell of his far away small country that was celebrated by its courage in the world, the taste of its fruit, sun and spilled tears- the drink that provokes endless grief, recalcitrance and belligerence at the same time…“

Feast of plum and plum brandy

buy brandy

slivovitz

In Troyan, Bulgaria traditional was held the holiday plum and plum brandy. In Oreshak guests could have seen see how the famous brandy boil. Traditionally recognized masters made a demonstration of the digestion of plum brandy. Could not have passed without competition for the best homemade plum brandy and a culinary competition for food with prunes. The guests took advantage of built Bazaar of Troyan plum brandy, a traditional plum conserve, dried plums, articles of handicrafts and others.