Holiday Fig Bourbon Old Fashioned

I love the flavors that come with the arrival of colder weather. There are pumpkin spices and the smell of chimney smoke in the air. The stores are filled with nuts for cracking, figs, and oranges. It’s the perfect time of year to add an Old Fashioned to your cocktail repertoire.

If you’re like me, you’re probably already planning your annual holiday party or New Year’s party. You’ve already strung the twinkle lights and considering the nationwide cold snap, you know your guest will be craving a little warmth in their bellies. Everyone else will be serving hot cider and mulled wine this holiday season. Spice things up at your party with this decadent twist on the classic Old Fashioned.

A traditional Old Fashioned is made with bourbon, sugar, orange peel, and bitters garnished with a maraschino cherry. This seasonal version of the drink mellows the Old Fashioned out a bit with the addition of an easy fig syrup made with just a touch of raw honey. A couple of squeezes of orange juice soften out the bite of the bourbon and bitters.

There are a few different whiskeys you can use to make an Old Fashioned.  I prefer a straight bourbon whiskey. Jim Beam is my go to bourbon, it’s both affordable and enjoyable to drink. The flavor of the bourbon is also the best complement to the figs and orange juice in this particular recipe. Experiment to see which type of whiskey you prefer in yours.

The fig syrup is sweetened by a tablespoon of raw honey. The dried figs are quite sweet themselves and don’t need a lot of help shining. The flavor of raw honey is a more well-rounded sweet than more processed honey or brown sugar. It doesn’t overwhelm the palate. It also gives the drink a thicker, richer texture.

I chose to make a fig syrup because the only figs I could find at this time of year were dried. They needed to be rehydrated and brought back to life. However, if you have fresh figs available by all means use them! You can muddle fresh figs with some honey in your glass before shaking all of the other ingredients together in a cocktail shaker.

I went with Kimi figs, which are billed as the “world’s tastiest figs”. They’re grown in only one place in Greece and are known for their sweetness and delicate skins. You can also use Black Mission figs for this recipe which are extremely sweet, or try Adriatic figs. Use three figs in the recipe if your figs happen to be on the smaller side.

Because I strained the fig syrup when I was done making it, I had a little bit of macerated figs cooked in bourbon and honey leftover. Don’t throw them away! I served mine the following morning for breakfast with whole greek yogurt and mixed nuts. It was absolutely delicious.

Winter is the season for citrus fruit, so you should see a variety of options at your local supermarket. I wanted an orange that would be both sweet, tangy, and very juicy. Naval oranges or Valencia oranges will be best in this case. They’re both extremely juicy and very sweet. I’m also looking forward to trying this recipe out with some blood oranges when they appear at market a little later in the winter.

To get a nice peel from your orange, use a very sharp paring knife and very slowly and carefully peel away a strip from the orange rind. It’s easiest to do this before you cut the orange and you might need to practice a couple of times.

You want to avoid as much of the white part of the rind as possible when you make your peel. The white is where all of the bitter flavor in the peel comes from. The orange part is the zest that has a sweet, orangey flavor.

An Old Fashioned is rounded out with a dash of Angostura bitters. Bitters were initially used as medicinal supplement, but slowly over time evolved to be a staple in cocktail recipes. They have a bitter, spicy flavor, and you really only need a dash to tie everything in this drink together. I used to not like bitters, but after trying drinks with and without them, I can now say they definitely help boost a cocktail from good to great.

What’s your favorite winter cocktail?

Holiday Fig Old Fashioned

Fig Syrup Ingredients

• Makes about one-half shot of syrup. Simply multiply the ingredients to make more. You can also boil the mixture for less time which will make your final product, and thereby your final cocktail, less syrupy. If you’re going boil for less time, reduce the water used to 1/8 cup.
• 2-3 Dried Kimi, Black Mission, or Adriatic figs
• 1 shot Jim Beam bourbon
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tbs raw honey

Holiday Fig Old Fashioned Ingredients

• 1.5 ounces bourbon
• 1/2 shot of fig syrup
• juice from two big orange slices (You can use naval, valencia, or blood oranges. If your oranges are on the smaller side or not very juicy, increase to three slices.)
• dash of Angostura bitters
• twist of orange peel
• ice, enough to fill your cocktail shaker, more if you like

Fig Syrup

1. Cut the figs in quarters with a sharp paring knife.
2. Place the figs, bourbon, water, and honey in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.
4. Simmer over medium-low heat until reduced by three-quarters. This will take about ten minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the mixture isn’t sticky or reducing too quickly. Lower your heat if you need to.

5. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Use a spoon to squeeze all of the liquid out of the figs. Allow to cool before using. Save the cooked figs for breakfast the next morning.

6. Syrup can be made up to three days ahead of time. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge.

Holiday Fig Old Fashioned

1. Combine the ice, bourbon, fig syrup, orange juice, and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Shake well for 30 seconds. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass and garnish with a twist of orange peel.