Fig Thyme

Updated November 30, 2024

I’m often surprised I don’t see more wine cocktails. Sure, there’s sangria, mimosas and the like, but wine can also hold a variety of the characteristics we seek in a good everyday mixing ingredient: acidity, sweetness, and aroma. For this wine cocktail I wanted intense dark fruit flavors. Muddled blackberries evoke the jamminess of the wine, which paired well with the spice of a bold rye whiskey.

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This year, I’m especially excited for figs, because I’ve been waiting to share this cocktail with you. The Fig Thyme is one of the first cocktails I made out of one of my most treasured cocktail books, The Art of the Bar, by Jeff Hollinger and Rob Schwartz, the gentlemen behind the legendary Absinthe Brasserie and Bar, in San Francisco. Absinthe had an effect on me and my career in many ways, but all stories for another time. Right now it’s time for me to grab my shaker and mix up one of the most deliciously complex, yet easy-to-make cocktails of the season. It’s Fig Thyme . . . I couldn’t resist!

Fig Thyme Cocktail

A wonderfully aromatic pisco cocktail made with fresh figs and thyme

Servings: 1 cocktail

INGREDIENTS

For the cocktail

• 1 1/2 oz pisco
• 1/4 oz Cointreau
• 1/2 oz thyme simple syrup
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 1 fig (quartered)
• sprig of thyme and half fig (for garnish)

For the thyme simple syrup

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 5 sprigs of thyme

INSTRUCTIONS

For the thyme simple syrup

1. Add sugar and water to a small saucepan and stir on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved, add thyme and let simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Remove thyme and pour into a heat-safe glass jar. Let cool before using in your cocktail. This can be refrigerated for up to two weeks

For the cocktail

1. Add the fig (quartered) and thyme simple syrup to the bottom of your mixing glass. Break up the pieces of fig by muddling lightly. If your fig is nice and ripe you probably won't even need a muddler. I used my barspoon!
2. Once muddled, you'll immediately notice the vibrant colors of the fig bleeding into your glass. Next, fill your mixing glass with ice, and add the remaining few ingredients.
3. Snap your shaking tin on top of your mixing glass and seal it into place with a firm whack with the palm of your hand. Give it a good shake for a full 10 seconds. Make sure you smile, especially if you're alone at home with your dog (like me)!
4. Crack open your shaker and double strain through a fine mesh strainer into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme and half of a fig.

(images by HonestlyYUM)