We’re always adding fruit to our cocktails: strawberries in our champagne, mangos in our margaritas or even blueberries in our mojitos. We usually chop up fresh fruit to add to our drinks but lately we’ve been on a dried fruit kick.

 

We think dried fruit is seriously underestimated when it comes to flavor and cocktail potential. Dried or dehydrated fruits like oranges, apricots, berries and pears can compliment your cocktail flavors like you wouldn’t believe. Whether it’s as a garnish or infused in liqueur, the possibilities are endless. Here are some of our favorite recipes:

 

Perfect Pear

Screen Shot 2014-01-03 at 4.36.19 PMDried pears are at the center of this sweet but subtle flavored cocktail. Try this recipe from Pippin Hill Farm for a delicious fruity concoction.

  • Pear liqueur
  • St. Germain
  • Pear nectar
  • Dried pear

 

Combine equal parts of pear liqueur and pear nectar together. Add a splash of St. Germain and top it off with a piece of dried pear. Sip and enjoy.

 

Peach CollinsPeachCollins

This recipe lets you experiment with infusions but also get the great flavor of dried peaches in our cocktail. Here’s what you’ll need for the cocktail:

  • 1.5 oz. gin
  • .75 oz. lemon juice
  • .75 oz. peach simple syrup
  • Club soda

 

Peach simple syrup:

  • 15 dried peach slices
  • 8 oz. water
  • Sugar

Add water and peaches to a jar and let sit overnight. Add an equal amount of sugar to water and stir until sugar dissolves. Add simple syrup, gin and lemon juice to a shaker with ice. Strain in a glass and top off with club soda.

 

Warm Winter Margarita

Screen Shot 2014-01-03 at 4.41.20 PMThe best part about this cocktail is that you can choose whatever dried fruit you want to mix it with. We would go with blueberries or cranberries.

  • 3.5 cups apple juice
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 cups dried fruit
  • 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 4 oz. gold tequila

Combine apple juice and cinnamon stick in a pot. Bring to a boil, add sugar and simmer. Add tequila and mix well. Place dried fruit at the bottom of your glasses and pour warm margarita mix over it. Add dried fruit as a garnish.

 

These dried fruit cocktails will open your eyes to new fruity drink options. Try one and let us know what you think.