Like all notorious blondes, this one looks rather harmless and unassuming. But the deeper you go, the more hooked you get on a comely drink that pulses with pear, hazelnut, and cream. Remember: There’s a Marilyn in every girl. Whisper softly, sip demurely, and purr like a kitten. Just resist that urge to sing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President.”

  • 1 ½ cups crushed ice or 6 ice cubes
  • 3 ounces pear nectar or juice
  • 3 ounces pear brandy
  • 2 tablespoons Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
  • 2 ounces half-and-half

GARNISH

  • 2 thin pear slices
  • 2 pinches cinnamon
  1. Chill two 6-ounce cocktail glasses.
  2. Fill a cocktail shaker with the ice. Add the remaining ingredients, except the garnishes. Shake vigorously to blend and chill.
  3. Strain the mixture evenly between the chilled glasses.
  4. Cut a deep slit in the center of each pear slice and place one on each rim. Finish the drinks with a pinch of cinnamon on top.

Serves two.

VARIATION: Prepare each glass with a sugar rim and substitute Amaretto for the Frangelico.

From HIGHBALLS AND HIGH HEELS by Karen Brooks, Gideon Bosker and Reed Darmon. Photographs by Mittie Hellmich. Copyright © 2001. Used with permission of Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, www.chroniclebooks.com. Photo © Kasia75/fotolia.