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Fig Bourbon Cider Smash. Fresh apple cider, zesty orange, sweet fig preserves, a generous shot of bourbon, and a splash of sparkling water. This cider smash is full of sweet, citrusy, and warming flavors. The perfect cocktail to cozy up to and welcome the start of autumn.
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Hey, hi and happy Saturday! Excited to be stopping in today for a quick cocktail post. I’m slowly getting back into Cocktail Saturday posts, which won’t officially begin until October 6th, but first, I just had to share with you this autumn inspired Fig Bourbon Cider Smash.
The official kick off to Holiday Cocktails will be Saturday, October 6th (mark your calendars!) with our first Spooky Cocktail of the month.
Are you guys ready for a cocktail overload?
October will be all about Halloween cocktails, November will be Thanksgiving focused… And yes, you guessed it, December will be all about Christmas. There’s going to be a lot of cocktail recipes, a lot of fun, and I’m already so excited! If there are any special requests you have, please feel free to leave me a comment. I would love to hear your ideas!
As always with my cocktail Saturday posts, these are meant to be fun, short, and sweet, so jumping right into the details today!
If there was ever a transitional cocktail to say goodbye to summer and embrace fall, it’s this fig bourbon cider smash. It’s incredibly warming and cozy, but uses those late summer and early autumn figs that are beyond delicious.
It’s also incredibly easy to make. Here is how we do it.
In a cocktail shaker, combine fresh apple cider (my favorite cocktail mixer this time of year), orange zest and juice, fig preserves (this stuff is the BEST), and bourbon (don’t go for the cheap stuff, use something good people). Oh, and I also love adding a splash of balsamic vinegar for a nice tang. I know it sounds so weird, but a little goes a long way. It’s that special something that makes this bourbon smash better than any other.
Strain the drink into a glass (these and these are my current favorites right now) with a large ice cube. Then just top off with sparkling water and a fresh fig. Takes maybe five minutes to make, uses ingredients you hopefully have on hand, is classy, pretty, and so refreshing, really delicious, and super cozy.
All my favorites in one drink. Could not love this one more, and I’m excited to mix this up tonight before another hectic day of travel tomorrow.
Hope you all enjoy… have a great Saturday!
PS. don’t forget to leave your drink requests in the comments below. I LOVE hearing your ideas!
If you make this fig cider bourbon smash, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Fig Bourbon Cider Smash
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1 teaspoon orange zest + 2 tablespoons juice
- 1 tablespoon fig preserves
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar , (optional, but delicious)
- sparkling water, for topping
- fresh figs, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a cocktail shaker, combine the apple cider, orange zest, orange juice, fig preserves, bourbon, and balsamic vinegar, if using. Shake to combine.2. Strain into a glass filled with ice. Top off with sparkling water and garnish with a fresh fig. DRINK!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
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Just wondering why you bounce between cups and ounces? 1/4 cup = 2 ounces, why not just say 2 ounces like the rest of it?
Hey Jay,
Sorry didn’t really think about that! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
as much as i would LOVE a cocktail right now, i’m 17 weeks along with baby #2, so won’t be seeing any in my future for some time. however, would this still taste as good if I just omitted the bourbon? i know sometimes the “kick” from liquor can really make a difference in the taste, so wasn’t sure if it’s really necessary for those of us that can’t or aren’t drinking 🙂
Hey Stephanie,
I think this would be totally fine without the bourbon! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I love a spring bourbon with mint, I can’t wait to try this refreshing drink, we love fall ?you are so warm a fuzzy???
Thank you Cathy! xTieghan
Omg!!! I love figs. I love apple cider!! I’m so into this fall cocktail!! ❤️❤️
Thank you so much Sarah! xTieghan
Drinking this right now! I would definitely recommend adding the balsamic. I think the drink won’t be as balanced without it and the flavor is subtle.
Thank you Simone! xTieghan
Should I use spiced/mulled apple cider? Or just regular?
You could use either honestly! Mulled would be a delicious addition. Enjoy!
This sounds delicious! Looking forward to making when the weather gets a little cooler. Please think about a really thick spicy Bloody Mary. It’s so difficult to have a really great one. I love all your recipes. Thank you for all your creativity! Janice
Ooo I definitely will! I hope you love this recipe, Janice! Thank you! xTieghan
I locate there is a sliding-scale of its efficacy when compared with how well-experienced anyone opponent is.
Thank you!
LOVE this recipe! We didn’t have fig jam, so we used pear vanilla jam and it turned out delicious!
Thank you Breana!
Made this last night and it was so yummy. My fig preserves didn’t really mix in much from all the shaking/mixing though so I was wondering if it would have even more flavor if that had gotten properly broken up. Anyone else have this issue?
Yes!! I couldn’t wait to try this drink since our grocery store’s front door is packed with cider jugs! Love it! I have a fig balsamic vinegar from our local makers, so that was an extra ++ for this recipe. My fig tree is an early summer guy so I used the ones I froze, then ate them with my drink, soooo good!! Thank you!!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you loved this drink, Adriana!
So yummy! Made these tonight and it was a hit! Perfect for fall.
Thank you Stefanie!
Just made this and wow is it good! My husband sad this is his new favorite cocktail:) Thanks Tieghan for another great recipe.
Thank you so much Jillian!
I made this the other night, so so good!! Perfect fall cocktail!
Thank you so much Meg! I am so glad you loved this!
A great drink for the fall, with lots of flavor.
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Thank you!