Jacques Bezuidenhout is responsible for the new cocktail program at Fifth Floor, which includes a lot of interesting twists on clean, classic cocktail fare. Today he offers us the recipe for a drink he created using Partida Reposado tequila and sherry.

The La Perla came about as I wanted to make a tequila aperitif cocktail. The 6 months of oak on the Partida Reposado give the tequila a hint of pear, apple and vanilla. I love adding sherry to cocktails as it opens many different flavor avenues. In this case I use a Manzanilla or Fino sherry which gives it that lovely dry finish with a hint of salt and brine. The addition of the Mathilde Pear liqueur rounds out the cocktail and plays on the pear notes that come through in the Partida Reposado. Then the lemon twist adds a fresh citrus burst to the nose. I won first place at the National Sherries of Spain cocktail contest in 2005 with the La Perla.

La Perla

1 3/4 oz. Partida Reposado
1 1/4 oz. Domecq Manzanilla Sherry
3/4oz Mathilde Pear Liqueur

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a duke's style lemon twist.