The Georges Tambal
"Our cocktail is sneaky, part French and paves the way for trouble," says Jason Meyers of Toronto's Hudson Kitchen about his variation on a Pear Tree Martini. That's why he named it after Georges Tambal, who some believe was the alias of William Grover Williams, a Grand Prix driver-turned-spy who aided the French Resistance during World War II.
Ingredients
1 ounce Absolut Elyx
1/2 ounce pear syrup
1/2 ounce ginger syrup
1/4 ounce Cherry Heering liqueur
1/2 ounce St. Germaine elderflower liqueur
1/2 ounce lime juice
Method
Prepare the pear syrup by cutting up any number of pears, placing them in a pot and just barely covering them with water.
Boil them for one hour until soft. Remove the pot from the burner and mash the cooked pears, then strain them over a large pot using cheesecloth. Discard pulp.
Let the liquid cool, then add about 2/3 cup sugar for each cup of juice.
Boil the syrup for two hours, until it’s golden brown; watch carefully so that it doesn’t boil over.
Remove from heat and store in a sterile lidded jar in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.
To make the ginger syrup, add 1 cup freshly sliced ginger, 3/4 cup sugar, the juice from a lemon and 2 cups water to a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for about an hour until the liquid is reduced by more than half.
Remove from the heat, cover and let cool before putting the mixture into a cheesecloth and straining into a sterile lidded jar (it will also keep in the refrigerator for up to three weeks).
When you’re ready to mix the cocktail, simply add all the ingredients to a shaker and shake well. Finestrain into a chilled champagne coupe, then see how long it take you to start divulging secrets.