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A ‘Luxe’ cocktail

From the brunch table to happy hour.

BY CHARLSIE DEWEY // PHOTO BY STACY FEYER-SALO

Kimberly Slaikeu, Ph.D., is the founder and owner of Luxe Artisan Preserves, a small-batch, hand-crafted preserves shop. Slaikeu infuses her preserves with herbs and alcohol to create unique flavor profiles.

Slaikeu got her start as a “flavor connoisseur” at the early age of six, explaining that was when she started spending “hours helping Big Mama harvest fruits and vegetables from our urban garden to be freshly cooked or preserved. This is where my passion ignited for understanding the intricacies of flavor. It is also where I learned early on that being in the kitchen is more than putting ingredients in a pot. Food is love and is often found at the center of life’s most intimate moments — thus, it is to be respected at all costs.” While preserves are more commonly associated with breakfast and brunch, Slaikeu gets creative, using her preserves in everything from soups to cocktails. She shares her recipe for a Luxe Pear Martini. Visit luxepreserves.com.

Ingredients 1.5 ounces pear or rosemary liqueur 1 ounce of pear nectar 1 ounce of Avanti

Supreme Vodka 1 ounce of Motu Viget sparkling wine 1 dollop of Pear +

Rosemary + Motu

Viget preserves Thin pear slice, exotic flower or rosemary sprig for garnish

Instructions Gather ingredients. Add a dollop of Pear + Rosemary + Motu Viget preserves to bottom of a cocktail glass. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour in pear liqueur, pear nectar and vodka. Shake well. Pour mixture into glass. Top with champagne. Garnish with a thin pear slice, exotic flower or rosemary.