Oh how this fig cocktail is a thing of beauty!
You GUYS. You know it. I get insanely excited for fig season. Even though it only seems to last for about 56 seconds in my area, I live up these weeks of fresh figs and enjoy. I buy them for cheese plates and risotto and now cocktails. I eat them fresh for a snack and caramelize them for desserts.
And dare I say that this fig cocktail is my new dessert right now?
MY OTHER RECIPESJust look at that! I want to swan dive into that glass. Juicy fresh figs muddled with brown sugar.
It might rank up there as one of the best things in the world.
I have been obsessed with figs ever since I “discovered” them in my early twenties. They aren’t a fruit that we ever ate when I was growing up and I never even saw them in a grocery store. The dried version wasn’t something we had either, and when I found the dried ones?
I fell in LOVE.
Dried figs are one of my favorite snacks. I love them with nut butter too – they are super satisfying and I think they make a perfect snack before a workout or when you’re craving something in the later afternoon. They are so easily accessible and I enjoy them approximately 874 times more than dates.
A fig cocktail has been in my brain for awhile now and I almost used fig jam (something else I love!), but for once in my life decided to have patience and use the fresh fruit. There is no beating it!
Here’s how it goes down…
You’re going to muddle the fresh figs with some brown sugar and a little squeeze of lemon. This was the brainchild of Jess – she was staying with me last week when I first made this. And I tried bourbon first but it REALLY overpowered the fig and prosecco flavor. Way too much. As delicious as the bourbon + fig + brown sugar combo is, you should probably top it off with soda or ginger beer. Not prosecco! And I was sold on using some sort of bubbly.
The lemon works perfectly. You don’t get any tart or bitterness at all – it really just adds enough liquid to muddle and get the amazing fig base. You could even add a little vanilla bean if you wish. Oooooh.
Once you have a deliciously syrupy quick fig compote of sorts, add it to your crushed ice and top it with prosecco. The drink is not overly sweet because the prosecco is so dry. It’s refreshing and reeeeeally bubbly.
I’m in love.
Brown Sugar Fig Bubbly
Ingredients:
- 10 to 12 ripe figs, sliced and stems removed, plus a few extra for garnish
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- the juice of 1 lemon
- 1 (750mL) chilled bottle of prosecco
Directions:
Note: if you have reeeeally small figs, there might be a chance that you need a few more. Make sure the figs are soft and ripe and juicy!
In the bottom of a large glass or jar, add the figs, the brown sugar and the lemon juice. Use a cocktail muddler to mash and muddle the mixture for a full 5 minutes or so, until the figs break down and you have a syrupy mix. You can remove and large pieces of the fig skin at this time too.
Add ice to the glass (crushed or cubed – your choice!) and add in your fig mixture. You can do 2 to 3 tablespoons per glass or just divide it evenly. Top each glass with prosecco, add a sliced fig in there and serve!
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And now it’s a snack too!
