Cocktail Of The Month: Rebar's Le Poire Haute
by Amy Cavanaugh
At the Trump Hotel's Rebar, inventive sushi rolls and tasty cocktails go hand in hand. At a recent tasting of the new menus, Manager Michael Koury served Le Poire Haute, an elegant blend of pear vodka, amaretto, and pear puree, which you can easily shake up at home to serve at holiday parties.
CBSChicago.com: What inspired this particular cocktail?
Michael Koury: We looked up pictures of the Thanksgiving cornucopia to see which fruits and vegetables were in there, and then incorporated those into our new cocktail menu. Pears are winter fruits, and the flavor profile when you combine pears with amaretto is great around the holidays. Anything you do with pear, if you put amaretto in there, will be better. It's like peanut butter and jelly.
CBSChicago.com: How often do you change up your cocktail menu?
MK: We switch out the majority quarterly. Some we're not able to because they're so popular. The pear cocktail will run through to spring, but if it's popular I can bring it back next year.
CBSChicago.com: Which dish on the menu would you pair it with?
MK: I would pair the pear with something spicier off the fish menu. The pear has a nice flavor, but it's not overwhelming, so it lends itself nicely to something with a stronger flavor.
Le Poire Haute
Ingredients:
2 ounces Grey Goose La Poire
¾ to 1 ounce amaretto
1½ ounces pear puree (buy it, or make it yourself by poaching pears and mashing them like potatoes)
Simple syrup to taste (boil equal parts sugar and water until sugar dissolves). Add more to make the cocktail sweeter.
Sugar and fresh cinnamon for garnish
Directions:
1. Add ingredients to shaker with ice.
2. Rim martini glass with equal parts sugar and freshly ground cinnamon (grind in a spice blender or coffee grinder)
3. Shake then strain into a martini glass.