Why You’ll Love This Recipe
A classic French 75 gets a Thanksgiving makeover with the addition of pear juice and fresh sage. Cognac gives the cocktail a deeper, moodier vibe that’s perfect for cozy season.
Less than 1 week until Thanksgiving! If you’re going to be slinging cocktails on turkey day, you should definitely think about including this Pear & Sage 75. Think of of French 75, but fall themed. I’m personally a HUGE fan of French 75s, so this one is right up my alley. Lucky for me it’s easy to make too! The hardest part (if you can call it that) is making the honey syrup, which is just honey and water melted together. Luckily you can make that ahead of time, then shake it all up when you’re ready to serve.
I used Meyer lemons in this cocktail since they’re a little sweeter/less acidic than regular lemons, so they don’t really risk overpowering the pear flavor. You can use regular lemon if that’s all you can find, it may just take over the pear flavor a bit.
the french 75 debate:
Cognac vs Gin
Gin is considered the “standard” liquor to use in a French 75, but cognac is a popular alternative that also has a deep history and French roots. Some bartenders will even ask when you order a French 75 whether you want gin or cognac.
I love using gin when the weather is warm because it brings a bright, fresh flavor profile. Cognac is great for cooler weather because it has a richer, deeper flavor profile that pairs well with the season. You can’t go wrong with either, but for this recipe, I recommend cognac for the bolder, warmer flavors this time of year.
For a little extra special Thanksgiving flare, you can rim the coupe glasses in cinnamon and sugar. I found this vanilla sugar at a local market and mixed it up with cinnamon, but there are also pre-made mixes just for rimming cocktail glasses. Delicious!
Shop for This Recipe
Pear & Sage 75
Ingredients
- 4 oz champagne or Prosecco
- 3 oz pear juice
- 1 1/2 oz Meyer lemon juice
- 1 oz cognac, (I like Pierre Ferrand Ambré)
- 1 oz honey syrup
- 4 sage leaves
- vanilla cinnamon sugar for rimming glasses
Instructions
- Combine plenty of Vanilla Sugar with a pinch of cinnamon on a shallow plate and mix.Using a wedge of lemon, wet the rims of 2 coupe glasses. Dip or roll the wet-rimmed glasses in the sugar mixture until it sticks to the glass rim. Shake off any excess, then set aside while you make the cocktail.
- Add all ingredients except Prosecco into a shaker with plenty of ice and shake until well-chilled.
- Strain into coupe glasses, top with Prosecco, and garnish with a sage leaf before serving.
Nutrition Information
For my macro trackers out there, I wasn’t able to create a My Fitness Pal barcode for this recipe since I would have had to decide for you whether to put the alcohol calories in as carbs or fats – that’s up to you! The 20 carbs listed here are primarily from the juices and honey. For my non-macro trackers, here’s more info on what I’m talking about.
