Pear and Ginger Infused Brandy
an autumn themed liqueur for libations and more
Easy|Lightly Sweet
Component Recipe
This is a recipe for infusing some brandy with subtle pear, ginger, and vanilla flavors. Originally developed to be used in our Apple and Pear Sangria, I've also found it to be useful as a unique flavor in various "drizzle glaze" applications and in icing for pastries.
This is a three-step process that involves multiple day steeping, so our normal "prep and cook" time is not so useful on this one. The first process is steeping just the pears and some vanilla with the brandy for a couple of days. We then make some Ginger Simple Syrup, and let that cool. Finally, we combine the cooled Ginger Simple Syrup with the pears and brandy liquid, and continue to let that steep for one day.
Why all the steeps? (See what I did there... steps -vs- steeps... well I thought it was funny.) Ginger is a very strong ingredient compared to the subtle flavor of pears. We're trying to get the pear and brandy together for a long steep, and then introducing some ginger, but only for about half the time as the pears. This will hopefully result in a liqueur where the pears and the ginger are balanced.
About Digital Food Works
This recipe was developed by Curtis Lawyer for use on the Digital Food Works website. DFW provides photography and design services for businesses with things to eat and drink!
This is a three-step process that involves multiple day steeping, so our normal "prep and cook" time is not so useful on this one. The first process is steeping just the pears and some vanilla with the brandy for a couple of days. We then make some Ginger Simple Syrup, and let that cool. Finally, we combine the cooled Ginger Simple Syrup with the pears and brandy liquid, and continue to let that steep for one day.
Why all the steeps? (See what I did there... steps -vs- steeps... well I thought it was funny.) Ginger is a very strong ingredient compared to the subtle flavor of pears. We're trying to get the pear and brandy together for a long steep, and then introducing some ginger, but only for about half the time as the pears. This will hopefully result in a liqueur where the pears and the ginger are balanced.
This recipe was developed by Curtis Lawyer for use on the Digital Food Works website. DFW provides photography and design services for businesses with things to eat and drink!
Recipe Notes
Filtering this liqueur into something that is super clear, is not easy. I don't have a ton of liquid specific filters here to work with — I just used a standard collection of baking and "around the house" filters — which mostly did the trick. I used a combination of kitchen sifter, pour-over coffee filters, and finally just the old "let it settle, and gently pour the clear stuff on the top into a new container" method. Not ideal, but it all worked out.Step by Step Instructions
1
Steeping the Pears
Wash and core one pear (no seeds, but leave the skin on), and chop into small cubes (about a 1/2 inch squares is good).
Place the diced pear cubes, vanilla extract, and brandy in a large sealable jar. (This mix should fill a little less than half of the jar, because we'll be adding more liquid later.)
Seal the jar, shake well, and let steep in a cool, dark, location for 3 or 4 days. You can shake it up a little once a day if you want, but it's not necessary.
Place the diced pear cubes, vanilla extract, and brandy in a large sealable jar. (This mix should fill a little less than half of the jar, because we'll be adding more liquid later.)
Seal the jar, shake well, and let steep in a cool, dark, location for 3 or 4 days. You can shake it up a little once a day if you want, but it's not necessary.
2
Make the Ginger Simple Syrup
Completely peel the fresh ginger root and cut into thin pieces.
Place the water, sugar, and ginger in a small pot and let simmer on medium-low for 25 minutes or until ginger is soft.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Do not strain or filter the ginger simple syrup.
Add vanilla extract to the simple syrup after it has cooled and stir.
If not using immediately, refrigerate in a sealed jar. Use within a couple of days for maximum freshness.
Place the water, sugar, and ginger in a small pot and let simmer on medium-low for 25 minutes or until ginger is soft.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Do not strain or filter the ginger simple syrup.
Add vanilla extract to the simple syrup after it has cooled and stir.
If not using immediately, refrigerate in a sealed jar. Use within a couple of days for maximum freshness.
3
Keep on Steeping
After the first steeping period of 3 to 4 days, open the jar and add all of the Ginger Simple Syrup mixture from the previous step, into the steeping jar that contains the pear mix.
Seal the jar again, shake well, and let steep in a cool, dark location for 2 more days.
Seal the jar again, shake well, and let steep in a cool, dark location for 2 more days.
4
Filtering
After the second steeping period, pour the mix through a kitchen sifter/strainer to filter out the larger pieces.
Pour the remaining liquid through a fine-mesh cheesecloth or "pour-over" coffee filter (the ones that look like cones). You could try using a "drip coffee filter" but membrane will probably be too thick to let the liquid pass through quickly. The main goal of this step is to get out as much of the mushy and fine particulate as you can.
Pour the liquid that's left into a bottle or jar. This liquid, is your Pear Ginger Brandy!
Pour the remaining liquid through a fine-mesh cheesecloth or "pour-over" coffee filter (the ones that look like cones). You could try using a "drip coffee filter" but membrane will probably be too thick to let the liquid pass through quickly. The main goal of this step is to get out as much of the mushy and fine particulate as you can.
Pour the liquid that's left into a bottle or jar. This liquid, is your Pear Ginger Brandy!