This post is sponsored by Northern Keep Vodka.
It’s Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend and we’re deep into planning our menu. There will be a harvest cheese board, a big turkey dinner, plus pumpkin pie AND pumpkin cheesecake. All our menu needed was a special cocktail to kick things off – and we came up with a recipe we’re in love with: a Pear Sage Fizz. A delish blend of vodka, pear juice and sage vanilla honey simple syrup all topped with Prosecco, this bevy is sweater weather in a (coupe) glass.
This is the first of three cocktail recipes for fall we’re making with Northern Keep Vodka, which just came out this summer. What’s cool about Northern Keep is that they’re all about celebrating Canada. They use a mix of 70% rye and 30% winter wheat, sourced from local Canadian farms, so it tastes slightly different from other vodkas. But what we love most about it is its smooth finish. It’s distilled five times, making it super clean. We find some vodka’s can be really harsh on the backend, so when we’re picking out a bottle it’s gotta be a good one!
Plus, I don’t know about you guys, but 2020 has us evaluating the brands we support more than ever. We’re not only looking for Canadian-made products, but companies that are committed to doing good. So when we heard that Northern Keep has a partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada to help protect five square feet of ecologically significant land in Canada for every bottle sold, we were on board.
For the Cocktail:
- 1 oz of Northern Keep Vodka
- 1 oz of pear juice*
- 1 oz of honey sage vanilla simple syrup (recipe and instructions below
- 1/2 oz of lemon juice, strained
- Prosecco (to top)
- Sage leaves (optional garnish)
For the Honey Sage Vanilla Simple Syrup:
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 12 sage leaves, roughly chopped
- 1/8 tsp of vanilla extract
*We used Black River pear juice, but if you can’t find bottled pear juice you can juice pears yourself with a juicer or blend them and strain the mixture. Alternatively, using the pear juice from a can of pears works, just make sure it’s 100% pear juice and not syrup or a blend of juices.
1. Start by making the simple syrup. Add all the ingredients to a small pot and stir over medium heat until the honey has dissolved. Let sit for 5-7 minutes and strain out the sage leaves. Set aside to cool.
2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the vodka, pear juice, lemon juice and simple syrup, shake vigorously for 10 seconds.
3. Strain into a coupe glass, top with Prosecco. Garnish with sage leaves. Cheers!
