I love when this happens.

Last week we had guests over for dinner and took the occasion to offer them a cocktail. (With a home bar like this, it’s hard to avoid!) But Chris loves when this happens. It brings him back to his bartending days – and gives him free license to create something the guest will love.

There wasn’t much time for trial and error, so Chris just went with a simple variation on a classic Mule, replacing the ginger beer with whatever he had on hand – which happened to be a tasty Pear Cider.

That’ll do!

The result was crisp and refreshing, with a touch of botanical goodness from the gin without overpowering the drink. The cider and syrup offered the perfect balance of light sweetness (and acidic tang). The final drink? Very drinkable.

And the guests? Well, they said they’d come back, so I think that’s a good sign!