This Vanilla Fig Dark and Stormy is the best Fall cocktail – made with a homemade brown sugar and vanilla fig simple syrup, dark rum and ginger beer – it’s cozy and spicy in all the right ways! Cheers!
Alright you guys – this cocktail. I just can’t even with it. It’s a straight up dream.
Truthfully, prior to making this cocktail, the closest thing that I had eaten to a fresh fig would be a fig newton. Ha! So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw fresh figs on sale at Trader Joe’s. I decided to pick them up, give them a whirl and make a recipe with them this Fall since they’re such a seasonal item.
And boy am I pleased with the result!
What is a Dark and Stormy?
If you’re keen on drink/bartender lingo (and let’s be honest, I’m not really either), you might be wondering what in the world a Dark and Stormy is.
Normally, a Dark and Stormy consists of Dark Rum – my favorite is Kraken! It’s so good.
Dark Rum is made with spices like cinnamon, ginger and clove. All of these spices make the rum a perfect beverage for a cool Fall night to make you feel all warm and cozy.
The dark rum is then topped off with ginger ale or ginger beer – whatever you prefer. Sometimes lime juice is added as well as simple syrup.
Why This Cocktail is the BEST
First off, let’s talk about the absolute best homemade simple syrup ever.
It’s made with fresh figs, brown sugar and vanilla. It’s Fall in syrup form, y’all.
The figs add a juiciness and a syrup-y honey-esque sweetness that’s a unique and delicious taste. When you add that flavor profile up with the classic flavors of molasses-y brown sugar and sweet vanilla – you know you’re in for a real treat!
When you add in that delicious spiced dark rum to the already cozy flavors – you could just stop right there. Or you could maybe top it off with a plain seltzer or club soda.
But please, for me, top it with ginger beer!!! Ginger beer makes it extra spicy and gives it a fizzy carbonated pop that is super necessary.
Oh, and for aesthetic purposes you must top the drink with a sliced fresh fig. I mean, how gorgeous is that?! Talk about a show stopper drink! Almost too beautiful to drink! Almost 😉
Ingredients You Need:
- Dark rum (I prefer Kraken)
- Fresh figs
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Ginger beer
How To Make the Fig Syrup
First off, make sure that your figs are ripe. I found this article to be super helpful in determining if mine were ripe or not considering I had never used them.
Wash/slice the figs in half. Add them to a large pot along with the brown sugar and vanilla extract. Stir all together and then begin gently smashing the figs with a mashed (I used a potato masher ha!).
Bring it to a boil on medium high heat and then reduce the heat, stirring occasionally and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes or until it all comes together and is thickened.
Next, you are going to want to strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer.
During this process, it’s extremely helpful to use a spoon to press through the strainer to make sure you get all of the juices of the figs into the syrup itself.
The figs make about 6 oz of syrup.
Assemble the Drink
It’s finally time! First, I suggest coating the rim of the glass with brown sugar for extra fanciness (although it’s not required).
To the bottom of the glass, add in the fig syrup, followed by the dark rum. Mix together. Add ice. And top with ginger beer. Garnish the drink with a fresh fig.
So simple! So delicious! Now cozy up by the fire and drink away 🙂 Enjoy, my friends! Cheers to Fall!
Did you like this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
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Vanilla Fig Dark and Stormy
This Vanilla Fig Dark and Stormy is the best Fall cocktail - made with a homemade brown sugar and vanilla fig simple syrup, dark rum and ginger beer - it’s cozy and spicy in all the right ways! Cheers!
Ingredients
Vanilla Fig Syrup
- 2 cups ripe, fresh figs, diced into bite size pieces
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup water
Drink
- 1/4 cup vanilla fig syrup
- 1.5 oz dark spiced rum (I like Kraken)
- 1 tbsp turbinado sugar, to rim the glass
- ginger beer to top it
- fresh figs to garnish
- ice
Instructions
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Dice the figs into bite size pieces. In a medium size pot, add the diced figs, brown sugar, vanilla extract and water. Stir to combine. Begin gently mashing the figs with a potato masher or a spoon. Cook on medium high heat to get it to a boil and then reduce the heat to low/medium for 25-30 minutes. Stir every few minutes with a wooden spoon to make sure the figs don't stick and to help break them up.
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Once the syrup has thickened, strain syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a mason jar or bowl. Use the wooden spoon to really press the fig pieces into the strainer to make sure you get all of the juices of the figs! This should yield 6 oz of syrup.
-
Dip the rim of your glass in water and then coat it with the crunchy turbinado sugar. Add in the vanilla fig syrup followed by the spiced rum. Stir together with a spoon. Add ice. Top generously with ginger beer. Garnish with fresh figs and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
The vanilla fig syrup should yield about 6 oz worth. You can store this in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed jar for several days.