Well, this may have been my favorite discovery of the whole Supper Club. I did the infusing the night before and then when people arrived, we poured their drinks as they sat down to mingle. I didn’t know I like cardamom so much.

I simply bought pear juice, whole green cardamom pods, and made a simple syrup. The original recipe called for Prosecco, but I had some good dry champagne in the house. The simple syrup and pear juice would be sweet enough, so I wanted to add a dry sparkling wine, rather than something with even more sugar taste. I could drink this all day long. With the leftover pear juice, I made another round a couple of nights later.

For my non-drinking friends, I kept aside the mixture and simply added sparkling water and that worked wonders as well.

Cardamom Infused Pear and Sparkling Wine
8-10 green cardamom pods
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup pear juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 bottle sparkling wine or dry champagne

Smash the cardamom pods with a rolling pin. Make the simple syrup by mixing sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cardamom pods and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add the pear juice and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Refrigerate over night.

The following day, add the lemon juice and strain. Pour juice and champagne in a pitcher and serve immediately.