Fig-Infused Negroni Recipe

A classic Negroni is bitter, bold, and bracingly boozy, with just a dash of sweetness to keep it from going too far. But did you know that if you infuse the gin with figs and vanilla beans and then use that to mix your Negroni, you'll end up with a drink that tastes like fall, sweetness, and the bitter promise of cold weather? It may be a tall ask of a cocktail, but I promise, this one delivers.

As a recipe developer and blogger, I love a project that starts three days before you can even take the first sip, and infusing alcohol with flavor is a great way to give it subtle notes that don't hit you square on the nose. By letting figs steep with vanilla, peppercorns, fresh thyme, and orange peel you turn the gin into a liquor built for fall. By the time you strain it and build your drink, most of the work is long forgotten.

Even if I'm short on time, I never skip the final garnish of this drink. The brûléed fig on top is more than just decoration. It gives you a sensory experience as you crack through that thin layer of burnt sugar, and taking that caramelized bite after having small sips of your bracing drink somehow feels like the best reward. Just like a cool, crisp, and achingly short fall day, this drink is over way too soon.

You'll need to start working on the fig-infused gin a few days in advance, so gather fresh figs, a vanilla bean, black peppercorns, fresh thyme, orange peel, and the gin you'll be infusing. If you're unsure which vanilla beans to buy, we have some tips. Give this at least two days and up to a week. Ideally, you'll also want to use a wide-mouthed quart jar for the infusion, though a regular mason jar will work as well.

When you're ready to make the cocktail itself, grab the fig-infused gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. For the garnish, you'll need half a fresh fig per glass and some granulated sugar.

Combine the figs, vanilla bean, peppercorns, thyme, and orange peel in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Add the gin.

Seal and let the jar sit in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days, shaking the jar once a day to redistribute the ingredients.

Strain the gin through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.

Combine the fig-infused gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth in a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 30 seconds, until well chilled.

Strain into two rocks glasses over large ice cubes.

For the garnish, sprinkle the cut side of the fig half with sugar.

Torch until the sugar bubbles and turns deep amber, about 30 seconds.

Perch the brûléed fig half on the rim of each glass using a cocktail pick, or drop it into the drink and serve.

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You may not have known this, but there are more than 10 types of gin out on the market, and dozens of different brands for each one. Not every kind works for infusions, so I wanted to break down the best kind of gin to use in this fig-infused Negroni. 

London Dry gin is your best starting point. This is the classic gin most of us know, which includes styles and brands like Tanqueray, Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire, and Broker's. The most prominent note in this type of gin is juniper, which stands up well against the citrus bitterness of Campari and the sweetness of vermouth. Our favorite gin for a Negroni is the London dry type from Spring44 Distilling. Another option is Old Tom, which is a lesser-known type often used in a Tom Collins. It's slightly sweeter and softer than London Dry, and it lets the fig's natural sweetness come through more clearly. Plymouth gin is an affordable option that falls halfway between Old Tom and London Dry.

Gins to avoid are overly perfumy or floral types like Empress 1908 gin, pink gin, or cucumber-forward gins like Hendrick's. They can clash with the figs and herbs, making the drink's flavor more muddled and discordant than complex.

While I may love a recipe with fun prep work, I realize not everyone feels like waiting three days for their cocktail to be ready. Three days will give you the most mellow, well-rounded infusion, but there are a few faster routes you can take.

Instead of infusing the gin, you can blend the figs, the seeds from the vanilla bean, ground pepper, thyme leaves, and orange zest along with the gin. Let it rest for two minutes and then strain it. This will give you a murkier drink, but you'll get all the fig and herb flavors. Another option, which I like more, is to take all those ingredients besides the gin, add 1 cup of water, and cook the mixture down into a syrup for about 30 minutes, or until reduced by half. Then, strain the solids and use half an ounce of syrup in the Negroni. It'll slightly change the ratio of a classic Negroni, but will definitely cut down on the prep.

The last option is to seal the gin and infusion ingredients in a vacuum bag and cook them via a sous vide method at 135 F for one to four hours. A sous vide machine can infuse spirits in just a few hours instead of weeks, with its gentle heat helping flavors meld without cooking off the alcohol.

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