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Perfect
Pear (from the now-closed Zefiro)|
Squeeze
Ginger Syrup
Squeeze
Simple Syrup
Splash
of fresh lime juice
3/4 oz.
vodka
3/4 oz.
Clear Creek Pear Brandy
For
celebrations:
Fill
a tall champagne glass with a mid-quality champagne (like
St. Michelle) and add some pear brandy.
Clear
Creek Distillery
1430
NW 23rd Ave., 248-9470.
Despite what many people think, Clear Creek Distillery
isn't in Hood River. Clear Creek, a bit of Grand Marnier
in our own back yard, sits in a Portland storefront and
warehouse, on the quiet corner of Northwest 23rd Avenue
and Quimby Street. Here, six different types of pure fruit
eaux de vie (a subclass of brandy), grappa, whiskey and
one Oregon brandy are made. The fruit comes from Oregon
farms and Clear Creek's own orchard in Parkdale.
After some barren years in its 15-year history, proprietor
Stephen McCarthy says business is finally starting to blossom
for his internationally recognized pure fruit spirits. Part
of the problem when he first started out, says McCarthy,
was that he felt he could invigorate the spirits industry
with a product that few people in America knew much about,
let alone made. Today, his award-winning pear brandy, which
marries European-style brandy-making traditions with Oregon
fruit, is considered some of the finest anywhere. Because
of its quality, and his tireless legwork in the field, it
can be found in the greatest restaurants in the United States.
But another vital reason for Clear Creek's success is a
local one. The distillery has strong ties to local restaurant
owners and chefs--people like Greg Higgins of Higgins and
Cory Schreiber of Wildwood.
"These are smaller, independent restaurants where the owner
is often also the chef," McCarthy says. "We tend not to
do well in the large chain restaurants."
McCarthy's most famous product is perhaps the pear-in-the-bottle
eau-de-vie. When the pear is still a tiny bud in the orchard,
it is enclosed in a bottle that hangs from the tree. Once
it grows to pear-size, the fruit is cut from the tree and
continues to ripen inside the bottle. Then the bottle is
filled with the fermented and distilled juice from 28 pounds
of pears. At 80 proof, that's one pickled pear.
Other eau-de-vie made by Clear Creek are the classic Williams
Pear Brandy, Eau-de-vie de Pomme, Blue Plum Brandy, Kirschwasser
(cherry brandy) and Framboise.
These brandies are not cordials, though they are usually
served after a meal as a digestif. They're best served
cold from the freezer in the summertime and at room temperature
in the fall and winter. And they are intended to be enjoyed
alone, in their pure state, although the "Perfect Pear"
recipe from Zefiro restaurant is an approved and excellent
exception to the rule.
One recent afternoon, McCarthy and longtime employee Rachel
Showalter awaited a delivery of raspberries for their eau-de-vie
de framboise, one of the trickiest brandies to make--and
their most expensive. McCarthy's is made from a pure mash
of fermented berries, unlike most others.
As we sampled a taste of chilled pear brandy, the phone
rang. "It's Bon Appétit," said Showalter casually.
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