Fig Old Fashioned
Bourbon, fig syrup and bitters, stirred over a big rock with an orange peel. The Old Fashioned sweetened with fig — jammy, dark and the autumn Old Fashioned of the 2010s.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Add the fig syrup and bitters to a rocks glass.
Add the bourbon and a large ice cube.
Stir for 20 seconds until cold and lightly diluted.
Express an orange peel over the drink and drop it in; add a fig slice if you have one.
A thoughtful finish
- Make the syrup: a cup of chopped dried figs, a cup of sugar, a cup of water, simmered ten minutes and strained.
- Two teaspoons; fig syrup is sweeter than simple.
- A dash of cinnamon or walnut bitters suits it.
Common mistakes
- Too much syrup, which makes it jam.
- Muddling fresh figs, which turns it to pulp.
- Skipping the orange peel.
A few good questions.
What does a Fig Old Fashioned taste like?
An Old Fashioned with a dark, jammy fig sweetness — rich, warm and autumnal.
How do I make fig syrup?
Simmer dried figs with equal parts sugar and water for ten minutes, then strain.
Can I use fig jam?
Yes; a barspoon, stirred hard or shaken, then strained.
Rye or bourbon?
Bourbon; its sweetness suits the fig.
Variations
- Old Fashioned — Whiskey, sugar and bitters.
- Maple Old Fashioned — Bourbon, maple and bitters.
- Brown Sugar Old Fashioned — Bourbon, brown sugar and bitters.
- Cider House Old Fashioned — Bourbon, apple cider syrup and bitters.
Where it comes from
c. 2010s · United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
Flavoured syrups took over the Old Fashioned in the 2010s, when bars discovered that the drink’s sugar could be anything — maple, honey, demerara, and fruit syrups in season — and fig was the autumn standard, its dark, jammy sweetness suiting bourbon’s vanilla and the bitters’ spice. The Fig Old Fashioned appears on American menus from about 2012, sometimes made with a fig jam shaken out, sometimes with a fig-infused bourbon, most often with a fig syrup (dried figs simmered with sugar and water). A teaspoon or two replaces the sugar cube; the bitters and orange peel stay. A dash of walnut or cinnamon bitters is a common addition.
Sources
- Difford's Guide, Fig Old Fashioned, 2014 (reference)
- Robert Simonson, The Old-Fashioned, 2014 (book)
- Liquor.com, Fig Old Fashioned, 2020 (reference)
Strength. About 1.54 US standard drinks at an estimated 32.3% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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