At two very different venues, using two very different products, brightly colored specialty pear cocktails are standout sellers.
At ARIA in Las Vegas, The Prickly Pear Pisco Sour, for $12, is a best seller from the Signature Sips menu, which Hinkle attributes in part to its striking appearance. “It’s a lovely hot pink color,” Hinkle explains. “As you’re drinking, people say, ‘what’s that?’ It sells itself.” The drink is made with BarSol Pisco Acholado, Perfect Puree Prickly Pear puree and Rhubarb Bitters.
The puree is an integral part of the drink: “I wouldn’t even know where to start to get prickly pears in the middle of the desert!” Hinkle exclaims.
Meanwhile, at New Smyrna, Florida’s raw bar and grill Off The Hook, the biggest-selling cocktails reflect the Latin influences in the seafood menu: Mojitos, Margaritas and Sangrias. And the Desert Pear Margarita, menued at $7, made with Monin Desert Pear syrup, is a particularly brisk seller. They also make Strawberry daiquiris from a puree base.
“It’s incredible,” Schaler says. “It’s a bright purple drink, an amazing looking cocktail. We sell a ton of them, it sells itself. People see it and want one.”