Fig n' Honey
Fig season lasts like couple weeks in California and I had to make the most of it. Here is a fun cocktail that is so figgin’ delicious! Sweet and earthy notes from fresh figs muddled with deep and rich flavors of honey bourbon; it brings fall flavors right into your glass. It doesn’t always have to be pumpkin spice to enjoy autumn right?!
Fun Facts
California ranks first in the nation in fig production, accounting for nearly 98 percent of all figs produced in all of USA.
There are two seasons for domestic fresh figs; the first or "breba" season is the first few weeks in June. The second or "new wood" season typically runs from August through October.
The most common variety is the Black Mission fig followed by the Brown Turkey fig and the Green Kadota fig respectively.
Figs are a good source of potassium, manganese and dietary fiber.
I was inspired by several different cocktails when I came up with the Fig n’ Honey.
Bourbon Smash // Mint Julep | Instead of muddling mint leaves, here I decided to muddle figs! Here is our Blackberry Mint Julep recipe.
Moscow Mule | One of Arafat’s favorite drink but this version would technically be more like a Kentucky mule using bourbon and ginger beer.
Old-Fashioned | His other favorite cocktail and this is where I pulled the idea of adding angostura bitters in case if the drink is a little too sweet! Here is our Old-Fashioned recipe.
Recipe | Serving Size: 1
Fresh Figs - 1/4 cup, chopped
Honey - 1/2 tsp
Fresh Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
In a cocktail shaker, add fresh figs, honey and fresh lemon juice. Use a cocktail muddler to mash and muddle everything until the figs break down and you have a syrupy mix.
Honey Bourbon - 2 oz
Grenadine - 2 tsp (optional)
Angostura Bitters - couple drops (optional)
Ice
Add the bourbon, grenadine and angostura bitters to the fig mixture. Fill the shaker with ice, and shake vigorously.
Strain into a pretty coupe glass of your choice. Top it off with ginger beer.
ps. I mistakenly added the ginger beer to the cocktail shaker while recording. Lol don’t do that! You want the fresh zing of the ginger beer in the cocktail at the very end.
Helpful Notes
Honey Bourbon — You are not limited to “honey” bourbon only for this cocktail since we also add honey in the muddled mix. Also feel free to use other spirits like whiskey, brandy, or vodka.
Grenadine — I used a little bit of grenadine to give this cocktail a dash of vibrant, rich orange-red color but it also brings in a distinctive flavor that is both tart and sweet,
Sweetness — If the cocktail is too sweet because of the honey and grenadine, you may omit one or both.
Angostura Bitters — Not seen in the video but you can also add a few drops of angostura bitters. Cocktails primarily contain sweet and sour flavors. By adding another primary taste, bitter, into mixed drinks, a cocktail is given a more complex—and complete—flavor profile.
Non-Alcoholic — Good substitution for the bourbon would be club soda or peach nectar, or a combination of both!
