St. George Spirits Spiced Pear Liqueur (750ml)

St. George Spirits has been a pioneer of American craft distilling since 1982, when German-born Jörg Rupf set up a small still in the San Francisco Bay Area to make the clear fruit brandies (eaux de vie) of his homeland using California fruit. Today the distillery works out of a former naval air station hangar in Alameda, where Rupf’s successors keep the fruit-first approach at the center of what they make. Their Spiced Pear Liqueur starts with the distillery’s own pear brandy, distilled from ripe Bartlett pears. It is infused with Saigon cinnamon and clove, then brought down to a gentle 20% ABV with fresh pear juice rather than water. A touch of organic cane sugar and malic acid keeps sweetness and brightness in balance. The result smells of crisp pear, tastes of pear butter and warm baking spice, and finishes long and lush. It’s lovely on its own after dinner, splashed into sparkling wine, or stirred into fall and winter cocktails.