When May almost circles around, we start planning a Cinco de Mayo menu and top of the list are appetizers and drinks. If you celebrate at home or host a fiesta, make a custom Cinco de Mayo cocktail you can’t get anywhere else: Fig Mezcal Margaritas.
This cocktail may be a bit more involved than your typical Cinco de Mayo cocktail but it’s absolutely worth it! Plan ahead because you’ll need to soak the California Mission Figs in mezcal for a week until they are nice and plump and the mezcal has taken on their figgy flavor. The good news? The fig-infused mezcal lasts for up to a month, so once the waiting is over, you’ll have fruity fig margaritas to sip on for Cinco de Mayo drink and afterwards too—or until the mezcal runs out!
Making your own simple syrup is so easy and adds another layer of flavor. For the fig mezcal margaritas, you will make a ginger simple syrup which adds just enough heat to pair with the sweet smokiness of fig infused mezcal.
Now, you don’t have to wait for eating and drinking through a Cinco de Mayo menu, but you do have to wait a week for the figs to infuse in the mezcal! So, make Mondays #MargaritaMondays or mix together this fruity cocktail during the summer or early fall.
Fig Margarita: a Cinco de Mayo Cocktail
Ingredients
Fig-Infused Mezcal
- 1 cup Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs stemmed and sliced
- 1 3/4 cup mezcal
Ginger Syrup
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tbsp fresh ginger peeled and chopped
Fig Margaritas
- 2 ounces Fig-infused Mezcal
- 1/2 ounce Ginger Syrup
- juice of 1 lime
- ice
Garnishes
- coarse salt
- lime wedges
- orange wedges
- Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs
Instructions
Make Fig-Infused Mezcal:
- Combine figs and mezcal in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Seal and leave at room temperature to infuse for 1 week.
- Pour into a blender, blend until figs are completely puréed. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup. Press on the solids to extract all mezcal. You should have about 1 cup of Fig-Infused Mezcal.
- Use right away or keep in a tightly-sealed container for up to a month at room temperature.
Make Ginger Syrup:
- Combine all the ingredients for the ginger syrup in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk to dissolve the sugar and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and steep until cool. Strain out the ginger.
- Use right away or keep in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Make Fig Margaritas:
- Rub a lime or orange wedge on the rim of a cocktail glass. Dip in coarse salt and fill glass with ice.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add Fig-Infused Mezcal, Ginger Syrup, and lime juice. Shake vigorously. Strain into prepared glass. Garnish with a California Dried fig, an orange wedge and a lime wedge. ¡Salúd!