Ginger Beer Pear Punch

December 26, 2017

Spice up the holidays with this festive Ginger Beer Pear Punch that tastes great as a mocktail or as a cocktail!

This recipe was created in partnership with Sprouts Farmers Market. Thank you for supporting brands that make The Nutrition Adventure possible!

It occurred to me as I sat down to write this post that this will be the last one for 2017. I truly appreciate all of you who continue to read my blog year after year, and want to welcome all of those who are new here—thanks for stopping in!

I was so excited to find out that Sprouts Farmers Market had started making their own ginger beer because I’m obsessed with the stuff! Are you a ginger beer fan? I love the spiciness of ginger beer and appreciate that it’s less sweet than gingerale.

Contrary to what the name may imply, most ginger beers are non-alcoholic, such as the Sprouts brand of ginger beer. An added benefit of drinking ginger beer is that it’s great for digestion. Many people are familiar with drinking ginger ale for an upset stomach, but I suggest going for a ginger beer instead—more of the ginger goodness and less sugar!

MOCKTAIL OR COCKTAIL

I might be biased, but I love both versions of this recipe equally. You’ll have to let me know which version you prefer or if you like both equally as I do. The pear vodka pairs ( 🙂 ) really well with the flavors in this drink. Absolut Pear Vodka is what I used, which is a very smooth vodka, but I haven’t tried any other brands.

I think the mocktail version of this drink will go over well with kids! My cousins and I always felt so fancy when we were kids and were allowed to drink the sparkling grape juice at holiday parties. This Ginger Beer Pear Punch is a fun, sparkling beverage with a spicy kick, and if you pour the prepared drink back into the ginger beer bottles to serve, kids will love it!

TO GARNISH

Making the dehydrated pears as a garnish for the Ginger Beer Pear Punch is totally optional but they certainly are pretty. To save time, you could slice the pears thin, cut in half, and add fresh, rather than dehydrated, to the glass along with the crystallized ginger. Find crystallized ginger in the bulk bin section at your local Sprouts Farmers Market, and you can buy as much as you need.

[bctt tweet=”AD: Spice up your mocktail or cocktail menu with this Ginger Beer Pear Punch! @sproutsfm #recipe” username=”KarmanRD”]

Cheers to all of you & best wishes for the new year!

Yum

Ginger Beer Pear Punch

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Spice up the holidays with a festive ginger beer punch that tastes great as a mocktail or as a cocktail!

Ingredients

1 Anjou pear, sliced vertically into ¼-inch thick slices

24 fl oz. Sprouts Brand Ginger Beer, chilled

16 fl oz. Sprouts Brand Pear Juice

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

¼ tsp. ground cardamom

1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

8 pieces of crystallized ginger, to garnish

Optional: Pear vodka

1. Preheat oven to 225°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place pear slices on parchment paper and place on middle oven rack. Bake for 1 ½ hours- 2 hours to dehydrate. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

2. While the pears are baking, add the pear juice, cayenne pepper, cardamom, and fresh ginger to a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and remove ginger pieces either with a slotted spoon or by straining through a mesh sieve. Allow the pear juice to cool.

3. To prepare the punch, combine 3 oz. of the ginger beer and 1.5 oz. of the pear juice in a glass and garnish with one pear slice and a slice of crystallized ginger. For an alcoholic version of this recipe, add 1 oz. of pear vodka to the glass with and stir well.

https://thenutritionadventure.com/ginger-beer-pear-punch/