Mason Dixon Distillery has paired up with Hollabaugh Bros. to create a pear-laden beverage: Pear Eau Di Vie, a pear brandy.
So how did this collaboration come into existence? It started in the spring, when Bruce Hollabaugh, production manager at Hollabaugh Bros., Inc., led a crew to carefully insert a pear fruitlet, still attached to the tree, down the neck of a bottle and gently tie it on the tree. A few months later, a perfectly colored, shaped and sized pear had grown right in the bottle!
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with another local family business in our area in this way. We’ve grown some of the county’s finest tree fruits for over 60 years, but this is the first time we’ve ever grown a fruit in a bottle,” said Bruce.
That’s when the craftmanship of Mason Dixon Distillery owner Yianni Barakos entered the picture, as he slowly proofed the batch of Pear Eau Di Vie until he found the perfect balance of flavor and alcohol warmth. The libation is bottled at 92 proof and drinks just like a Bartlett pear eats, but without any sweetness. The start is delicate and the pear notes eventually strengthen until it winds down with a gentle finish.
“Being surrounded by orchards, I knew that making a fruit-based liquor was something I wanted to do here at the distillery. But fruit tends to yield small amounts of liquor, as compared to the grains or molasses with which we usually work. When Ellie contacted me about growing pears into bottles, I knew we had the perfect opportunity to not only introduce a new, local product to our customers, but also give me the chance to revisit fruit liquor, the very spirit that originally started me distilling as a child,” said Yianni.
Pear Eau Di Vie will be available at the distillery in December, and 75 numbered bottles with a pear in the bottle and 50 numbered bottles without the pear will be available. Single pours will also be offered while supplies last.
Find Mason Dixon Distillery at 331 E. Water St. in Gettysburg; phone: (717) 398-3385.
- Photos: Hollabaugh Bros.
