There’s no wrong time to drink Golden Fig Lemonade. This lemonade and fig syrup recipe is a delicious twist on a timeless classic drink using Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Golden Dried Figs.
Lemonade with a Twist
Fig lovers, have you ever tried fig lemonade? We knew our dried figs and lemons are a natural flavor pairing for so many things from freekeh to pasta but we’d never thought about bringing these fresh flavors together in a drink and now it’s all we can think about.
What Kind of Dried Figs to Use
Golden Dried Figs have a different kind of sweetness than Mission Dried Figs. Their milder nutty sweetness and sunny color makes golden figs our pick for this drink, but you could always use mission figs for a more intense sweetness (and it would be lovely for autumn with the addition of cinnamon sticks in the pitcher to infuse just enough warm spice into the drink).
Fig Lemonade Ratio
Lemonade is pretty easy to remember how to make. Just think 1:1:1 of 1 cup of lemon juice, (and 1 cup sugar and water for simple syrup) and you can scale up or down as needed. Then you’ll sweeten to taste with fig syrup.
Go for the Gold: Dried Fig Syrup Recipe
The fig syrup recipe is easy to do: remove the stems off the golden dried figs and slice them. Then add them to a saucepan with the water and sugar for the simple syrup with long strips of lemon zest from one lemon. You’ll then cook the syrup until the sugar is dissolved. Infuse the figs into the syrup another 10 minutes to deepen the flavor. Then, toss the syrup into a blender and puree. Strain out the solids from the syrup (and reserve to eat swirled into yogurt!). Reserve the golden fig syrup.
You’re almost there. Essentially you’ll stir together the lemon juice, water and sweeten to taste with fig syrup. Serve over ice and thirst no more!
Freezer Ready: Fig Lemonade Pops for the Family
Now, you can also make popsicles with the lemonade—if you decide to do that, skip straining out the solids from the syrup if you want a bit of texture in your pop or pour the strained lemonade into popsicle molds for a pulp-free frozen treat.
Another Idea
For all you iced tea lovers, we’ve got you covered with Golden Fig Arnold Palmers. The kind of black tea we are most interested in is a brisk black tea. But you could also swap in a classic green tea with lighter tannins for a refreshing afternoon drink.
Golden Fig Lemonade
Ingredients
Golden Fig Syrup Recipe
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 8 ounces Orchard Choice® or Sun-Maid® California Golden Dried Figs , stems removed and sliced
- Long strips of peel from 1 lemon
Fig Lemonade
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 4 cups water
- Ice
Instructions
Make the Fig Simple Syrup:
- In a saucepan set over medium heat, cook sugar, water, dried figs, and lemon peels. Stir occasionally and cook for 7 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Turn heat off and steep for 10 minutes.
- Pour all of the simple syrup ingredients into a blender. Puree until smooth. Strain out (and save) the solids using a fine mesh strainer. Set aside the fig simple syrup.
Make the Lemonade
- Stir together the lemon juice and water, sweetening to taste with the fig simple syrup.
- Serve over ice.
