This weekend I was fortunate to catch up with some old sailing friends we hadn’t seen in a while, who have migrated from salty ocean adventures to a land boat — aka a camper van. Back when they were more active in the racing scene, no matter the time of day an ocean race finished, out came the rum. It was through them that I was introduced to the fond tradition of a Breakfast Rum.
Having not seen them in months and leaning into a cold and rainy winter weekend, rum seemed the appropriate choice for some cocktail inspiration. And here we have the Brown Butter Pear Rum Sour and it’s more pared back (mind the pun) sister, the Brown Butter Rum Sour.
Now, back in our racing days we never got more fancy than elevating the choice of rum and mixing it with orange juice or Coke, but never mind that — the rum was the inspiration. As we weren’t coming in fatigued from a long, tiring ocean race where any slightly cold, strong drink will do, I decided to have a crack at brown butter-washed rum.
My verdict? Worth it, but some planning ahead is required. The process itself only takes about 10–15 minutes to prepare, but the rum needs a few hours to infuse before heading into the freezer so the butter can solidify and be strained out. In other words, this isn’t a cocktail where you can decide you want brown butter rum and be drinking it five minutes later.
If you don’t buy into my verdict that making the brown butter rum is worth the effort — absolutely fair enough. This cocktail is still worth making with regular dark rum. And if you aren’t into rum at all or are avoiding alcohol altogether, I’ve been working on a pear and chamomile mocktail using the same flavours. That one is coming soon.
While we are nearing the end of winter here, this would also make the perfect autumn cocktail. I can picture drinking it on a cool autumn evening, when the smell of changing leaves is in the air and everything is surrounded by those beautiful, soft autumn colours. We don’t really get colourful autumns in Australia and I miss them from my childhood. There is something about the combination of pear, brown butter and maple in this cocktail that brings back those memories.
Whatever the time of year where you are, though, it’s always a good time to make a bar-quality cocktail at home — especially this one.
Worth Making?
- Yes – if you like a sour with more depth. The brown butter rum brings toasted, nutty richness without making it heavy.
- Yes – because pear is subtle enough to let the brown butter actually come through.
- Yes – if you want a cocktail that feels special anytime of the year but particularly invites autumn.
- Skip it – if you want something sharp, punchy and citrus. This one is softer, rounder and deliberately smooth.
- Skip it – if you don’t want to make the brown butter rum. It’s the point of the drink, not an optional flourish.
Brown Butter Pear Rum Sour
Equipment
- 1 cocktail shaker
Ingredients
Brown Butter Rum
- 200 ml quality dark rum I use Mount Gay
- 15 grams unsalted butter
- 2 grams milk powder (about 1/2 tsp) Optional – adds more buttery/caramel flavour but can be left out
Brown Butter Pear Sour
- 60 ml brown butter dark rum
- 20 ml pear nectar (or cloudy pear juice)
- 20 ml fresh lemon juice
- 10 ml pure maple syrup
- 1 egg white
- 1 dash bitters
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt
Instructions
Brown Butter Rum
- Brown the butter until the milk solids are deep golden and smell nutty. Let it cool for 2–3 minutes (warm, but not hot).
- Stir it into the rum.Leave to infuse for 2–4 hours at room temperature. Freeze overnight until the butter solidifies.
- Strain through a fine sieve, then through a coffee filter for a crystal-clear rum.
Brown Butter Pear Sour
- Add all ingredients to a shaker and dry shake for 15 seconds.
- Add ice and shake vigorously until well chilled.
- Double strain into a chilled glass with or without ice.
- Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and a thin pear slice or an expressed orange peel.
Brown Butter Maple Sour
- Follow instructions above and remove the pear nectar, increase the maple syrup to 15 ml, fresh lemon juice to 25 ml and add 1 more dash of bitters.
Make it your own way
Make it more pear: Increase the pear nectar to 30 ml and pull back slightly on the maple.
Make it less sweet: Reduce the maple syrup to 5 ml, especially if your pear nectar is on the sweeter side.
Make it extra nutty: Use the toasted milk powder version of the brown butter rum for an even deeper toasted, caramelised flavour.
Make it without egg white: Leave it out or swap for aquafaba or cocktail foamer. You’ll lose some of the silky texture, but not the flavour.
Change the finish: Try freshly grated nutmeg, an expressed orange peel or a very light dusting of cinnamon.
