The weather here has been wildly vacillating between scorching hot and cool and crisp. I suppose it’s a bit of an autumn tradition here in LA. It may be fall, but I’m not sure whether to bust out the sweaters and soups, or dive into a cold salad. For that reason, fall cocktails make all the sense in the world to me right now. Particularly this fig and rosemary gin smash, which is both refreshing and cozy.
Writing out cocktail recipes is always a bit of a challenge. I never know whether I should write it for a single drink or a batch of drinks. Usually, I end up writing them for a single drink, because that feels easiest for everyone. Things get a bit muddy when there are custom ingredients, but more often than not they hold up well in the fridge. That’s the case with the fig and rosemary purée in this cocktail. So uh, sorry in advance for the excess, but also you’re welcome, because you’ll definitely be wanting more than one of these babies (and this should be good for about four).
A note on figs
This is a very seasonal drink. Yes, dried figs are available. No, I would not recommend them. That said, feel free to use any variety of fresh figs that you’d like here!
Fig and Rosemary Gin Smash Cocktail
Ingredients
Rosemary Simple Syrup
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Water
- 3 sprigs Fresh rosemary
Fig and Rosemary Purée
- 1 cup Fresh figs (stemmed and halved)
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- Rosemary simple syrup (from above)
Drink
- 2 oz Fig and rosemary purée
- 2 oz Gin
Garnishes (optional)
- Ice
- Fresh rosemary
- Half a fig
Instructions
- Make the rosemary simple syrup. To do this, add the water, sugar, and fresh rosemary to a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Once the sugar has all dissolved, remove from heat and let cool before removing rosemary sprigs.
- Add the rosemary simple syrup, lemon juice, and fresh figs to a blender or food processor to make the purée. Blend until smooth.
- Now make your cocktail! To do this, shake 2 oz fig and rosemary purée with 2 oz gin and some ice. Pour into a glass and garnish with either a sprig of rosemary and/or half a fig. Then enjoy!
While this fig and rosemary gin smash does involve a bit of prep work, it’ll set you up for a few rounds of wonderfully easy cocktails once it’s done! And if you’re a fig lover like I am, you’ll relish the ease of those figgy delights once you’ve got them. Oh, and if you’re making these for friends, try lighting a sprig of rosemary on fire. Blow it out right before serving for a very exciting smoky presentation!
As always, if you make this, I hope you love it! Either way, let me know how you like it in the comments or on Instagram. And if you’re looking for more fig forward recipes, check out my fig and caramel upside down cake or my vanilla fig jam!
when I added my fig and rosemary puree to the gin, it seemed like a thicker drink than I’m used to. Is that normal? My simple syrup did come out on the thicker side.
It is! It’s definitely a bit thicker than your average drink because of the fruit purée. I for one like a drink with a bit of texture, but it’s definitely a preference so I hope you still liked it!