Vodka · Sour · Fruity
Spiced Pear Elderflower Sour Recipe
Vodka shaken with pear and elderflower liqueurs, lemon, and a whisper of bitters. Fruity and lightly sweet — vodka shaken with pear and elderflower liqueurs, lemon, and a whisper of bitters. A dressed-up sour for orchard-fruit flavor without heavy spirit character.
- Prep Time
- 2 min
- Method
- Shaken
- Glass
- Coupe glass
- Strength
- Balanced
Every recipe on Sipped Right is tested for taste and balance before it's published.
Last updated October 20, 2026
About the Spiced Pear Elderflower Sour
Not a historical classic with a disputed invention story — this is a modern recipe, built in the broader vodka sour family that traces back to the 19th-century sour format (spirit, citrus, sweetener) popularized by bartenders like Jerry Thomas.
The drink stacks three sweetened elements — pear liqueur, elderflower liqueur, and Cointreau — in small amounts against a larger vodka base and a properly sour 0.666oz lemon juice. The bitters add a savory backbone underneath the orchard-fruit sweetness, the same role they play in a classic whiskey sour.
Ingredients
- Vodka1 ½ oz
- Spiced Pear liqueur½ oz
- Elderflower liqueur½ oz
- Cointreau¼ oz
- Fresh lemon juice⅔ oz
- Rich syrup (2:1)⅓ oz
- Angostura bitters2 dashes
- Cinnamon stickfor grating over the top
2 dashes in this recipe = 4 dashes if using a Japanese-style dasher top.
Method
- Measure and pour the vodka, Spiced Pear liqueur, elderflower liqueur, Cointreau, lemon juice, syrup, and bitters into a shaker.
- Add a scoop of ice to the shaker.
- Shake for 15 seconds.
- Fine-strain into a chilled coupe.
- Grate the cinnamon stick over the top.
Glass & Garnish
Coupe glass, chilled and served up. Finish with a fine grating of the cinnamon stick over the surface just before serving. No fruit garnish needed here — the spice itself is the intended finishing note in this recipe.
Notes
Batches the full liquid base ahead of time except bitters, which are easiest to dash fresh per glass. No egg white in this one, so it holds up to standing slightly better than a foam-capped sour, though shaking fresh per serving is still the better result. Common mistake: skipping the fine strain, which lets small ice shards into the coupe. Good alongside a cheese course, especially something soft-ripened.
Tools Used
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FAQ
- What's the origin of this drink?
- Not a historical classic — a modern recipe, built in the broader vodka sour family.
- Can I make this without elderflower liqueur?
- St-Germain is the standard choice if you don't have one; without any elderflower element, the drink loses a distinct floral note but still works as a pear-and-citrus sour.
- What's the best vodka for this drink?
- A clean, neutral vodka works best — an assertive or flavored vodka competes with the pear and elderflower liqueurs.
- Does this need a cinnamon garnish?
- The grated cinnamon adds aroma that plays against the pear and elderflower, worth including, but the drink is balanced without it too.
