A gorgeous cocktail to celebrate the season, this Vodka, Red Wine and Spiced Pear Liqueur Cocktail is the perfect drink to serve over the holidays with a beautiful color and the freshness of pears.
When the team at Stolichnaya introduced me to their new Elit vodka and suggested a cocktail combining vodka, red wine, and spiced pear liqueur, I was intrigued. The idea promised a festive look and seasonal flavors, and the finished drink did not disappoint.
I’ve enjoyed cocktails that include wine before, and this one lived up to the expectation. Bright red in color and layered with warm pear and spice notes, it makes a striking holiday presentation and tastes like the season in a glass.
The cocktail uses flavors that feel quintessentially wintry: spiced pear, a touch of maple, and freshly grated nutmeg. Those elements pair with vodka and dry red wine to create a balanced drink that’s crisp, slightly sweet, and fragrant. The spiced pear liqueur gives the cocktail a rounded fruitiness while the red wine deepens the color and adds structure.
Elit is a premium addition to the Stolichnaya family, a single-estate vodka made from grains grown in Tambov, Russia. The brand emphasizes careful selection of winter and spring wheat along with rye, triple distillation, and rigorous cuts to keep only the purest portion of the spirit. The vodka is blended with artesian well water and filtered through quartz sand and charcoal. A signature freeze-filtration step at -18ºC further refines the spirit, yielding a smooth, creamy vodka that works beautifully in cocktails where clarity and texture matter.
This is a vodka that deserves to be featured. In this cocktail, it pairs nicely with St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur; the pear liqueur adds fragrant spice and fruit notes that complement the vodka’s clean profile. I hadn’t used pear liqueur much before, but it’s delicious and versatile—so good, I could sip a little straight.
Although combining wine and distilled spirits isn’t a common approach for every cocktail, this one opened my eyes. The red wine brings depth and a lovely hue while the vodka and pear liqueur keep the drink bright and aromatic. It’s festive without being heavy, and it will be a welcome addition to holiday gatherings.
The result is a polished, seasonal cocktail: crisp, pear-forward, and gently spiced. It’s a lovely option to serve on Christmas day or during any winter celebration, and it’s simple enough to make for guests while still feeling special.
Vodka, Red Wine and Spiced Pear Liqueur Cocktail
Barb
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Vodka
- 1.5 oz Dry Red Wine
- .5 oz St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur
- .25 oz Maple Syrup
- .25 oz Lemon Juice
- 1 oz Seltzer
Instructions
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Combine vodka, red wine, spiced pear liqueur, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake briefly to chill and blend.
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Strain into an ice-filled glass, top with seltzer, and garnish with a pear fan and a light grate of nutmeg if desired.
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