A sweet liqueur made from oranges and pears, which is very tasty over ice cream or in fruit cocktails, and will be a pleasant reminder of winter when the thermometer's too high to contemplate. Alcohol content about 30%.

• 1/2 pound pears
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 pound peeled oranges
• 1 cup grain alcohol

Slice the pears and put them in a jar with the sugar, seal the jar, and set it in a warm place with lots of sun. Leave it there for a week, shaking it every day to help the sugar dissolve. At the end of the week peel the oranges, cut the sections crosswise, and add them to the jar, together with the alcohol. Put the jar in a dark place and let it sit for a month, shaking it every now and then. Filter your liqueur into an elegant bottle and let it age in a dark place for at least six months before breaking it out.

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