The arrival of fall signals the shift from the sweet fruits of summer to the Great Pumpkin and Apple Rush. Let’s shine some light on a worthy seasonal contender and make an autumn cocktail with nary an apple, squash, or spice in sight.

Poor, neglected pears

Although they are available all year round, in-season pears are the best of the best. They make their first appearance in September and only get better as the season progresses. The earliest pears available are the impossibly juicy, soft, and sweet bell-shaped Bartletts. Next comes the long-necked Bosc: tan, crisp, dry, and sweet. After that comes the roly-poly Comice with a high sugar content and flesh so soft that it can be eaten with a spoon. Finally, the versatile, short-necked Anjou, sometimes called the “winter pear,” prized for its buttery white flesh, firm texture, and high juice content.

Because ripe pears bruise easily, the fruit is picked when fully mature in size but not yet ripe. To ripen, simply leave the pears on the counter, and time will do the rest. Pears ripen from the inside out (Bartlett pears are the only pear variety to change color as it ripens), so to determine ripeness, give your pears a gentle squeeze: a ripe pear will yield to the touch.

Bartlett pears ripening from left to right.

The cocktail hunt is on!

Bite into a fresh pear (skin and all), and the experience is a heady combination of juicy sweetness with a hint of citrus, a slightly bitter aftertaste, and a soft, buttery mouthfeel.

To capture this essence in a coupe, we start with a solid base of uncooked pear puree. Perfectly ripe pears are sinfully easy to puree: simply peel, core, dice, and blend with a bit of water until smooth. Since most of the ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is in the peel, pear puree lacks that subtle tang. Fresh lemon juice subbed in for some of the water is the fix.

For spirits, we began with a split base of vodka and pear brandy, added our puree, and shook with ice. The fresh pear taste was very pronounced, but the texture was lacking. Riffing off the pear’s 17th century nickname “butter fruit,” we added some melted, cooled butter to our next round. We found that the texture was fine, but the overall drink was way too oily. The solution? Butter-washed vodka.

The way some folks describe it, fat-washing is a clever high-tech process best left to the experts. In reality, it's actually a simple way to make an emulsion of fats and alcohol. We mixed room temperature vodka and melted, cooled butter together, then let the mix rest undisturbed for several hours (this allows the alcohol molecules to bind with the butter’s flavoring compounds). We then placed the rested mixture in the freezer for a couple of hours to separate the solids from the liquid. The next day, we popped off the solids, and strained the clear, butter-flavored vodka to catch any remaining bits.

At this point the cocktail was near perfection. Thinking back to that first bite of pear, we realized that the missing ingredient was the vegetal scent of the pear’s skin. A few dashes of celery bitters, and we had our drink!

The Forlorn Fruit: Fresh Pear Cocktail

Serves 1

Here’s a fabulous fall cocktail for anyone tired of caramel apple and pumpkin spice. Butter-washed vodka, pear brandy, and fresh pear puree conjure up the essence of ripe pear. No need to add simple syrup to this one: ripe pear puree is plenty sweet

• 2 ripe pears, washed, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
• 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 ounce butter-washed vodka (recipe follows)
• 1 ounce pear brandy
• 2 dashes celery bitters

In a blender, combine pears and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. (This makes enough for at least 2 cocktails, and is also delicious stirred into yogurt.)

Measure out 1 1/2 ounces fresh pear puree into a cocktail shaker, then add the rest of the ingredients. Shake with ice, then double strain into a chilled cocktail coupe.

Butter-washed Vodka

Makes 6 ounces

• 6 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce European (high fat) butter, melted, cooled

Shake vodka and melted butter in a jar with lid (a mason jar with screw-top is great). Let rest at room temperature for 4-6 hours, then transfer to freezer and freeze overnight. To use, remove solids from top, then strain the vodka into a clean bottle. Store in refrigerator or freezer.