Conversione Recipe

Chill glass

Place a Nick & Nora or coupe glass in the freezer or fill it with ice water to chill while you build the cocktail.

Combine base spirits

In a mixing glass add 60 ml cognac, 15 ml white vermouth, 10 ml white bitter, and 10 ml pear liqueur. The pear component should be noticeable but not overpowering; use pear eau-de-vie if you prefer a drier fruit note.

Add bitters and optional cherry liqueur

Add 1 dash of Angostura or orange bitters and, if you want additional cherry sweetness/aroma, 5 ml maraschino cherry liqueur. These small components round the profile and bridge cognac, pear and vermouth.

Stir with ice

Fill the mixing glass with large ice and stir gently for 20–30 seconds (about 20–30 full strokes) until the mixture is well chilled and slightly diluted (~15–20% dilution).

Prepare garnish

Discard ice or water from the chilled serving glass. Express the oils from the lemon peel over the glass by holding the peel skin-side down and giving it a firm twist 2–3 inches above the glass, then rub the peel around the rim and set aside.

Strain and float wine

Double-strain the stirred cocktail into the chilled glass. Using the back of a spoon, gently float 15 ml of the red wine on top so it forms a thin layer; this creates a visual and flavor contrast.

Garnish with cherry

Place one maraschino cherry (with a little of its brine if desired) into the glass or skewer it and lay it on the rim. If you used the optional maraschino liqueur, you can spoon a small drop on the cherry to intensify the aroma.

Final tasting note

Sniff the cocktail (the lemon oil and cherry on top will be prominent), then take a small sip to register the cognac backbone, white vermouth structure, pear sweetness, the gentle bitter lift, and the red wine finishing note. Adjust future builds by varying the pear liqueur ±5 ml or the red wine float ±5 ml to preference.