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The Fabled Pour

Fig syrup

Also called fresh fig syrup, dried fig syrup

A house syrup simmered from fresh or dried figs, sugar and water, deep purple to amber with jammy fruit, honey and a seedy texture before straining. It flatters brandy, bourbon, rye and dark rum and gives a Sour or an Old Fashioned a late summer orchard note.

  • ripe fig
  • honey
  • jam
  • raisin
  • soft spice
  • earthy sweetness

Origin

Figs are native to western Asia and among the oldest cultivated fruits, found at Neolithic sites from about 5000 BC and known in 29 varieties by Pliny's time. Spanish missionaries brought them to California with the San Diego mission in 1769, and Brown Turkey, Kadota and Black Mission remain the familiar varieties; drying and jam making are the traditional ways of keeping them, and a fig syrup is that same preserving instinct aimed at the bar.

Production and safety

House recipe: combine 1 cup (200 g) sugar, 1 cup (240 ml) water and 8 ripe fresh figs (about 300 g, quartered) or 6 oz (170 g) dried figs (chopped) in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stir to dissolve the sugar, cook 10 minutes, mashing the fruit, then take off the heat and steep 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing lightly; do not force the pulp through or the syrup clouds. Bottle while warm into a clean, labeled container, cool, and refrigerate. Keeps 2 weeks refrigerated (fruit syrups spoil sooner than plain); 0.5 oz / 15 ml of vodka per cup extends this by a week. Discard if fizzy, moldy or sour. Yield about 1.5 cups (360 ml).

Allergens: None

Common uses

  • a fig and bourbon Sour
  • a brandy Old Fashioned sweetened with fig
  • fig syrup and soda with lemon
  • autumn punches
  • the house concept that calls for it

Sources

  1. Fig (Morton, Fruits of Warm Climates, Purdue NewCROP), Purdue University NewCROP ยท secondary source, retrieved 2026-10-11