Sparkling Pear Ginger Mocktail
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This sparkling pear mocktail recipe is beautiful, elegant, and layered with flavor. The notes of juicy pear, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger make it the perfect holiday mocktail!
In my mind, there are two GREAT seasons for mocktails: summer & the holidays. In summer, we reach for fresh, fruity mocktails like a Blue Hawaiian or Blackberry Limeade–the vibe is light, fun, and sunny!
But in winter, I LOVE mocktails that feel a bit more refined, nuanced, and upscale–something I can serve at a party or holiday dinner, like this Cranberry Lime Mocktail or our popular Grapefruit Mocktail.
This sparkling pear ginger mocktail recipe is exactly what I’m looking for in a holiday mocktail! It’s easy to make, looks beautiful in a glass, and easily scales for a crowd.
The thing I love most about this pear mocktail is the layers of flavor. It’s so much more than juice a juice-and-soda mocktail. Instead, you’ve got an elegant mocktail layered with notes of fresh pear, cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger, with brightness and balance in every sip.
With its nod to fall flavors, it’s the perfect Thanksgiving mocktail, holiday mocktail, or New Year’s Eve drink for a party.
And it all starts with simple ingredients…
Simple Ingredients To Get Started
This beautiful drink may start with simple ingredients, but we coax the most flavor possible out of each one. Let’s take a look:
- Pear Nectar or Pear Juice. First, you’ll need some pear juice or pear nectar. These two are often fairly interchangeable, so don’t worry too much about whether you should use nectar or juice. We like Ceres brand and Knudsen pear juice, but there are lots of great brands out there! If you don’t find pear juice or pear nectar in the shelf-stable juice section, check near the mixers in the alcohol section of your grocery store.
- Ginger Beer. Next up is fizzy, zingy ginger beer! Although it has “beer” in the name, ginger beer is NOT alcoholic. (Think: root beer!) It’s less sweet and has a more assertive ginger flavor than ginger ale. This spicy kick works beautifully with the notes of pear, vanilla & cinnamon in this pear mocktail.
- Fresh Lemon Juice. A splash of fresh lemon juice brightens this drink and elevates all the other flavors. It’s a little magic trick!
- Vanilla Extract. Not a common ingredient for mocktails, perhaps, but the flavors work SO WELL here.
- Cinnamon. Just a pinch! Cinnamon adds warmth and pairs so nicely with the pear and vanilla.
- Fresh Rosemary. My secret ingredient! It might seem like it’s just a garnish, but fresh rosemary sprigs add nuance and a beautiful pop of color that you won’t want to miss out on. (Dried rosemary is NOT an option for this sparkling pear mocktail!)
- Plenty of Ice! Last, but not least, you’ll need plenty of ice cubes. If it’s not an ice-cold mocktail, I don’t want it!
How To Make This Sparkling Pear Ginger Mocktail, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below!
- Build Flavor. Add cinnamon to your glass, then add pear nectar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir to combine. (The cinnamon may clump at first. Don’t worry!)
- Layer. Add the ginger beer and ice and gently stir to combine. Try not to mix too hard here, so the drink stays fizzy!
- Add Rosemary. Gently pinch a fresh rosemary sprig with clean fingers and add to the glass or add rosemary to the glass and use a muddler or the back of a spoon to press lightly on the rosemary. (This will release some of the rosemary oil, which will flavor the drink.)
- Garnish with cinnamon sticks, cranberries, a slice of pear, pomegranate arils, or more rosemary and enjoy!
Or, Make a Pitcher!
- Build Flavor. Add cinnamon to your pitcher, then add pear nectar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir to combine until cinnamon is well blended.
- Add Rosemary. Gently pinch the rosemary with clean fingers then add to the pitcher, or add rosemary to the pitcher and use a muddler or the back of a spoon to press lightly on the rosemary. (This will release some of the rosemary oil, which will flavor the drink.)
- Finish. Add the ginger beer and ice RIGHT before serving and gently stir to combine. Try not to mix too hard here, so the drink stays fizzy!
- Garnish with cinnamon sticks, cranberries, pear slices, pomegranate arils, or more rosemary and enjoy!
Variations To Try
My favorite way to make this delicious drink is exactly as written, but when you’re looking for a little variety, here are a few ways to mix this sparkling pear mocktail recipe up…
- Add Cranberry. Try a splash of cranberry juice (look for pure cranberry juice since this drink is already plenty sweet!)
- Make It Fizzier! For an extra-fizzy twist, you can use sparkling pear juice instead of regular!
- Get Spicier! Ginger beer comes in different potencies, and some brands of ginger beer are spicier than others. Look for Reed’s extra ginger beer or strongest ginger beer varieties all year long or keep an eye out for Trader Joe’s triple ginger at the holidays
- Turn Up The Cinnamon. If you’re making a pitcher of this drink, you can add 2 cinnamon sticks to the pear juice and bring it to a simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat. Turn off the heat and let the cinnamon steep into the pear juice. Cool completely, then remove cinnamon sticks and add to the recipe as usual.
- Make It With Cider Instead. If you’re having trouble finding pear juice or pear nectar, you can absolutely make this pear mocktail with fresh apple cider instead! Look for apple cider rather than apple juice for the best flavor.
- Make It LESS Sweet. If you prefer a less sweet drink, you can cut the drink with sparkling water or club soda, OR steep fresh ginger into the pear juice and reduce the ginger beer. Let your taste buds be your guide!
Make It Pretty!
Let’s add some visual appeal! In all my holiday mocktail recipes, I love to include notes about garnishes. These subtle little touches can add color, instantly clue you in to the flavors of the drink, or elevate the look with a bit of extra elegance. I recommend adding at least 1-2 garnishes to your drink, if you can!
- Fresh Pears. I love adding a fresh pear slice to each glass or to my pitcher to play up the pear notes and fresh flavor. You can use a sharp knife, but I prefer using a mandoline slicer to get those super-even, thin pear slices you see in my photos. (I use the 4.5mm/3/16th inch setting.)
- Cinnamon Sticks. Another nod to the flavors in this pear mocktail. Add a cinnamon stick to each glass, or tuck a few into your pitcher to add extra flavor.
- Pomegranate Arils. Add a few to each glass or a handful to the pitcher for a pretty pop of red!
- Cranberries. I especially love sugared cranberries for their festive look, but fresh or frozen cranberries also add a gorgeous pop of red, which looks gorgeous next to the gold of the pear juice and the green of the rosemary.
- Lemon Slices. Have some extra lemon? Cut it into thin slices and tuck one or two into your drink!
- Fresh Ginger. Add a slice or two of fresh ginger root!
FAQ + Tricks For The Best Pear Mocktail
Make-Ahead Tips. This sparkling pear ginger mocktail is the perfect choice when you want a make-ahead non-alcoholic drink for the holiday season. You can mix up everything EXCEPT the ice and ginger beer and store in the fridge up to 24 hours. Then, right before serving, add ginger beer, ice, and any fresh garnishes you like.
What Is Pear Nectar? Pear nectar is just really pear juice, or pear juice that contains a small amount of pear puree. If your bottle is labeled “pear juice” instead of pear nectar, it’ll work just fine here! I only recommend buying pear juice or nectar that doesn’t have any other fruit juices in it so you get the strongest pear flavor.
Ginger Beer VS Ginger Ale. For best results, make sure to buy ginger beer, not ginger ale for this pear ginger mocktail recipe. Both are naturally non-alcoholic, but ginger beer is less sweet and has a more potent ginger flavor. Ginger ale is much sweeter and has a weaker ginger flavor. Don’t know which brand to buy? We like Fever Tree or Reed’s brands best.
🌟 Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Sparkling Pear Ginger Mocktail recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Sparkling Pear Ginger Mocktail
Ingredients
For ONE Pear Mocktail:
- 3-4 oz. pear nectar we like Ceres or Knudsen*
- 2-3 oz. ginger beer*
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 drops vanilla extract 1/16th teaspoon
- pinch cinnamon 1/16th teaspoon
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- Ice cubes
For A Pitcher (8 Servings):
- 4 cups pear nectar
- 3 cups ginger beer*
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice 2-3 lemons
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4-6 large sprigs rosemary
- Ice cubes
Optional Garnish:
- Pear slices
- Sugared cranberries
- Pomegranate arils
- Cinnamon sticks
Instructions
To Make A Single Mocktail:
- Build Flavor. Add cinnamon to your glass, then add pear nectar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
- Layer. Add the ginger beer and ice and gently stir to combine. Try not to mix too hard here, so the drink stays fizzy!
- Add Rosemary. Gently pinch a fresh rosemary sprig with clean fingers and add to the glass or add rosemary to the glass and use a muddler or the back of a spoon to press lightly on the rosemary. (This will release some of the rosemary oil, which will flavor the drink.)
- Garnish with cinnamon sticks, cranberries, pear slices, pomegranate arils, or more rosemary and enjoy!
To Make A Pitcher:
- Build Flavor. Add cinnamon to your pitcher, then add pear nectar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir to combine until cinnamon is well blended.
- Add Rosemary. Gently pinch the rosemary with clean fingers then add to the pitcher, or add rosemary to the pitcher and use a muddler or the back of a spoon to press lightly on the rosemary. (This will release some of the rosemary oil, which will flavor the drink.)
- Finish. Add the ginger beer and ice RIGHT before serving and gently stir to combine. Try not to mix too hard here, so the drink stays fizzy!
- Garnish with cinnamon sticks, cranberries, pear slices, pomegranate arils, or more rosemary and enjoy!
Notes
- Pear Nectar. Pear nectar is just really pear juice. If your bottle is labeled “pear juice” instead of pear nectar, it’ll work just fine here! I only recommend buying pear juice or nectar that doesn’t have any other kinds of juice in it so you get the strongest pear flavor.
- Ginger Beer. Make sure to buy ginger beer, not ginger ale. Both are naturally non-alcoholic, but ginger beer is less sweet and has a more potent ginger flavor. Ginger ale is much sweeter and has a weaker ginger flavor. We like Fever Tree or Reed’s brands best.
- For Stronger Cinnamon Flavor. If you’re making a pitcher of this drink, you can add 2 cinnamon sticks to the pear juice and bring it to a simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat. Turn off the heat and let the cinnamon steep into the pear juice. Cool completely, then remove cinnamon sticks and add to the recipe as usual.
- Make It Fizzier! For an extra-fizzy twist, you can use sparkling pear juice instead of regular.
Video
Find the recipe:
sweetsandthankyou.com/pear-ginger-mocktail/
This is such a fun drink. It tastes how fall feels
delicious!!!! really good with sparking water or non alcoholic champagne added as well. some friends at the party added booze to it as well and loved it
Yay! So glad it was a win for you, Victoria!