Photography by Moshe Zusman

This Pear is Aces

By Natalie Bovis-Nelsen (AKA: TheLiquidMuse.com)

If you haven’t ventured to Dupont Circle in a while, it may be time to catch up on one of its latest hotspots. Last year, Alan Popovsky (owner of Felix and Spy Lounge, a little further up the Red Line) opened doors to chic brasserie-style dining and drinking spot Hudson. In addition to summer drink specials on the patio and half-priced wine on Sundays, Hudson’s cocktail list features some intriguing creations. The house-made syrups and purees reflect the imagination and care employed behind the bar.

A Better Two Pair

1 1/2 ounces Absolut pear vodka
1 1/2 ounces house-made Two Pear Puree*
1 ounce house-made sour mix
Dehydrated pear slice

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass and shake vigorously with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a slice of dehydrated pear.

Two Pear Puree:
2 Bartlett pears
2 prickly pears
1 tablespoon ascorbic acid
1 cup simple syrup (sugar water)

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth and fruit is thoroughly incorporated (mash should be a vibrant pink).

Booze News

Canton Ginger & Cognac Liqueur comes to us from John Cooper, the third generation of a luxury liqueur-drenched family (his grandfather Maurice Cooper acquired Charles Jacquins & Cie., the oldest maker of domestic cordials). Canton fuses the force of VSOP Cognac (made primarily from ugni blanc grapes and aged in French oak) with the sweetness of a liqueur (derived from orange-blossom honey and sugar cane) and finishes with the spicy bite of ginger (balanced with Tahitian vanilla and Tunisian ginseng). On ice, it is a tasty stand-alone sipper, and a wonderful mixing ingredient for unique cocktails.

Courtesy of Domaine de Canton

(June/July 2008)