Autumn Spice Pear-Infused Vodka

Early in the autumn, when the pears get ripe, I start thinking about spices like cloves, ginger,  cinnamon, and nutmeg. And after making some spiced pear preserves, I just can’t help but wonder how I can turn this yumminess into a tasty boozy concoction. Enter this autumn spice pear-infused vodka recipe.

Bear in mind that my recipe is, once again, designed for gift-giving during the holidays. And while it was inspired by Boulder Locavore’s recipe, I’ve increased the size and adjusted the ingredients for my own taste buds. I encourage you to play around with proportions and flavors as much as you’d like.

What I learned in the making:

• I like making this with pears that aren’t quite ripe.
• Use good quality cinnamon and cloves. I bought mine at Penzey’s and they’re top-notch.
• You need a nice, big jar for this. I bought my insanely giant jar at Container Store.
• This recipe can infuse for a week, but if you leave it for a month, your infusion will be stronger.
• You should always give your hooch to experts to try out! I gave mine to the guys at Great Fermentations to test and they loved this one!

Here’s how I made mine:

• Slice the pears. If you’re in a real hurry, you could just cut the pears in half, but I think slicing them is probably better.
• Slice your ginger in 1/4″ slices.
• Throw everything into the jar and store it in your pantry during your infusion time.
• No need to shake this one. It just…marinates.
• At the end of your infusion time, it’ll look like this:

• Strain the mixture into a bowl. It’ll look like this:

• You can set the fruit aside to put over ice cream, but make sure to refrigerate it and don’t keep it very long. It’s pretty tasty.
• Your vodka will look like this:

• If you want to avoid any residue in your end product, strain it again through a jelly strainer, nut milk bag, or coffee filter.
• Bottle it. Drink it.