I’m not much of a tea drinker outside of a standard English breakfast tea. I’ll admit, it’s a bit unadventurous and boring of me. There are so many variations of tea out there and I want to love them, but I tend to enjoy the packaging and the smell more than the actual experience of drinking them. And don’t get me started on Matcha. If you’re looking for a Matcha recipe, it’s unlikely to be found here — ever. Sorry, but not sorry. It’s a definite no for me. I’ll stick to my English breakfast with a little sugar and plenty of milk.
While my standard cup of tea is comforting on a lazy afternoon or over a chat with friends, it fell a little flat when I looked to tea to inspire a mocktail. We had friends over and one is admirably taking a break from the booze for health reasons and instead hitting the tea hard — particularly chamomile tea. So, I wanted to create something fun for them to drink that didn’t feel like the consolation prize while everyone else had a cocktail in hand. And here was born this Pear & Chamomile Sour Mocktail.
It was also inspired by my Brown Butter Rum Pear Sour, which I happened to be experimenting with the same weekend. This mocktail relies on the same pear juice and loosely follows the idea of a sour, but that’s where the similarities end. I also needed it to be citrus and acid-free, so I had my work cut out for me. Citrus is usually the easy answer when you need to cut through sweetness and give a drink some backbone.
Thankfully, it turns out chamomile, pear and honey don’t need it. The chamomile keeps the pear from tasting like a glass of juice, the honey rounds everything out and a pinch of salt helps pull the flavours together. Shaken with egg white, it gets that silky texture and foamy top that makes a sour feel like a sour, even without the usual hit of citrus.
And most importantly, it doesn’t feel like the drink you make for the person who isn’t drinking. It’s the kind of mocktail I’d happily make for myself — although I’m still not swapping my English breakfast for a cup of chamomile anytime soon.
Worth Making?
- Yes – if chamomile usually means bedtime tea to you. Pear and honey give it a surprisingly cocktail-worthy second life.
- Yes – for the combination of juicy pear, floral chamomile and a silky foam top without needing citrus to pull it together.
- Yes – when you want something soft and mellow rather than another tart, fruit-forward mocktail.
- Skip it – if you want your mocktails sharp, bitter or punchy. This one deliberately sits at the gentler end of the spectrum.
Pear and Chamomile Sour Mocktail
Equipment
- 1 cocktail shaker
Ingredients
- 60 ml strong chamomile tea, chilled
- 60 ml pear juice or pear nectar
- 10 ml honey syrup Heat equal parts honey and water in a saucepan just until honey is dissolved.
- 20 ml egg white or aquafaba
- pinch fine sea salt
- 2 drops vanilla extract
Instructions
- Steep the chamomile strongly — 2 tea bags in 120 ml boiling water for 8–10 minutes — then cool completely.
- Add chamomile tea, pear juice, honey syrup, egg white and salt to a shaker. Dry shake vigorously.
- Add ice and shake again until cold. Double strain into a chilled glass with or without ice
Make it your own way
- Swap the pear: Use a naturally sweet apple juice for a slightly brighter version without changing the character of the drink too much.
- Add some spice: Steep a small piece of cinnamon stick with the chamomile for a warmer, spiced edge.
- Add vanilla: A drop or two of vanilla rounds out the pear and chamomile and makes the drink feel a little richer.
- Make it fizzy: Top with a splash of soda water for a longer, lighter mocktail.
- Change the foam: Swap the egg white for aquafaba, or leave it out altogether if a foamy top isn’t your thing.
- Adjust the sweetness: Pear juices vary, so start with the honey as written and add a little more only if yours needs it.
