WORDS Will Abner PHOTO Jon Kohn
We are pretty big beer fans here at SpringHouse, and we are particularly fond of our Alabama brewers. We have witnessed numerous breweries crop up in the past few years and they are creating greatness. Recently some brewers from Good People Brewing Company came to dine with us and I wanted to see if I could come up with a cocktail that would feature and compliment one of their crafts.
It was one of the first crisp, cool evenings of Fall so I reached for their Brown Ale. It has a nutty and malty quality that would send this drink in the right direction. Also, it could sit well with bourbon. Our house bourbon, Buffalo Trace, is rich, with an excellent balance of corn and rye further strengthening the sense of Fall I wanted this cocktail to have.
Once I decided on the base spirits I had to find a way to bridge the gap between beer and bourbon. Sweetening things up I added some maple syrup, and to marry it all together I chose to introduce fresh muddled pear. The heaviness of the beer, bourbon and maple syrup is offset slightly with the fresh fruit qualities that sit in the background of the drink.
The Handlebar
1.75 oz Buffalo Trace
1.5 oz maple pear syrup
2.5 oz Good People Brown Ale
Pear slices for garnish
Maple Pear Syrup
1 pear
.5 cup of maple syrup
1/3 cup white sugar
1 cup water
Create a simple syrup by adding water to sugar & maple syrup and simmering. Thinly slice the pear and add to the simmering mixture. Use a wooden spoon or muddler and carefully press on the pears occasionally as they soften, but don’t mash them. Let it sit on low for about an hour.
Add the syrup, ice, bourbon and shake. Strain into a cocktail glass filled with ice and top with the beer. Garnish with a hefty slice of pear.