ROSEMARY FIG JAPANESE WHISKY SOUR

Fig season is upon us — and I’m back today with a fresh, summer meets autumn sip to celebrate! My Rosemary Fig Japanese Whisky Sour was actually conceived at the height of quarantine back in April (when we were encouraged to limit our grocery runs as much as possible) — another exercise in using what we had on hand to to whip up a comforting COCKTAIL at home. Despite this recipe using fig preserves (rather than fresh figs you see photographed), I waited patiently for fig season to bring this inventive cocktail to life — simply so I could make it as beautiful as possible! And while I never thought I’d be incorporating Japanese whisky or egg whites into a cocktail — here we are. 2020 has been full of curveballs, but one thing is has been good for is nurturing my mixology skills and pushing me to create more resourceful, experimental recipes! There have been many a Rosemary Fig Japanese Whisky Sour consumed this year as this recipe underwent an intensive testing process to ensure it was shaken to perfection — and I’m elated to finally bring it to JustineCelina this fall! 

My Rosemary Fig Japanese Whisky Sour is a deliciously luxurious juxtaposition of fall flavours and textures that you can shake up at home. This creative cocktail is creamy, smoky, sweet and sour — enveloping your tastebuds in early autumn inspired warmth! Premium Japanese whisky (thanks to Adam’s latest spirit obsession!) combines with egg whites (with a vegan option), fig syrup, bitters, fresh lemon juice and a sprig of rosemary, shaken into a comforting sip that celebrates quintessential fall flavours in cocktail form. If your looking to satisfy your cocktail lounge cravings at home this autumn, look no further! Dust off your shaker, slip on your fuzzy slippers, light a fire and learn how to shake up this sumptuous, seasonally inspired Japanese whisky sour in the comfort of your own kitchen. Cheers to breaking out of our cocktail comfort zones with beautiful, seasonally inspired ingredients!

ROSEMARY FIG JAPANESE WHISKY SOUR

While 2020 has been a challenging year (to say the very least!), I’ve always been one to look on the bright side. All this time I’ve spent at home learning to be more resourceful has afforded me a plethora of fresh new RECIPES to share, more hours to dedicate to JustineCelina and a renewed appreciation  for life’s simple pleasures (like enjoying gourmet cocktails in the comfort of our Living Room!). As we transition into autumn (and past the 6 month mark of this pandemic), I find myself learning how to channel this year’s unexpected sources of inspiration into my content — and this Rosemary Fig Japanese Whisky Sour is a product of that! 

Looking back, this cocktail saw us through some dark times. During the height of COVID restrictions when we only left the apartment when absolutely necessary (but Adam still managed to break his collarbone biking and landed himself in emergency, overnight surgery!), we decided we would enjoy some of the bottles of wine and spirits we’d been saving for special occasions. After all, breaking your collarbone during the peak of a pandemic is absolutely a special occasion! The Nikka Super Rare Old Japanese whisky used in this recipe was one of them — and these are the circumstances that lead to this cocktail’s conception back in April.

Like myself, Adam tends to go through phases with spirits. This past winter, he was deep into his Japanese whisky phase, hence the reason it trickled into this cocktail! While we have fairly opposite palettes in terms of both wine and spirits, there’s a robust sweet spot right in the middle where our tastes overlap. While he’ll almost always prefer to drink a premium spirit neat, over ice or in a simple classic cocktail, after sampling the Nikka Super Rare Old, I knew I wanted to experiment with its sweet, heavy, lightly peaty flavour profile.

But, that was easier said than done. Typically when inspiration for a recipe strikes (usually fuelled by a new ingredient I’ve discovered!), I’ll break out my recipe development book and start jotting ideas for recipe ideas and flavour combinations. Not having the option to pop out to the grocery store whenever inspiration strikes (and finding empty shelves and shortages there when I did) meant I shifted my recipe development process to being more resourceful that ever. I focused on doing what I could with what I had on hand, getting creative and sharpening my mixology skills by creating a type of cocktail I’d never shaken up before — and the results were absolutely delicious! When Adam requests one of my cocktails in favour of drinking that spirit neat or on ice, I know I’ve created something special.

So, I peered into the depth of our fridge and pulled out lemons, eggs, fig preserves, fresh rosemary (leftover from our first ever Easter Dinner for Two) and my trusty Angostura bitters — and I got to work! Although I’d never made a whisky sour, I was so surprised at how simple it was to prepare at home with just a handful of ingredients. Upon first sip, I knew there was potential to bring this elevated quarantine cocktail to the blog, so I tweaked and tested for the next couple of weeks until is was just right, then filed it away in my archives until fig season. Although it’s been a long time coming and this cocktail was born out of some grim circumstances, translating my  Rosemary Fig Japanese Whisky Sour onto these pages and into something beautiful to share with you has brought me so much joy! 

Before we jump in, I wanted to provide a couple of tips about where to source the fig preserves (or fig jam), used in this recipe. I picked the jar you see photographed at Lina’s Italian Market (a wonderful Calgary destination for all things Italian, plus they have an incredible cafe!), but you can also find fig preserves / jam in the International Foods section at Superstore. The best part about this recipe is that you don’t need fresh figs to make this cocktail — I’ve simply used them to style these images. That said, if you can track down a case (I purchased these at Cherry Pit at the Calgary Farmers Market), they make for a lovely September treat! As always, supporting local businesses remains a priority here at JustineCelina.

Now, let’s learn to shake up a delicious, seasonally-inspired Japanese whisky sour at home — shall we?

Ingredients

Serves 1

FOR THE ROSEMARY FIG JAPANESE WHISKY SOUR

• 2 oz Japanese Whisky (I used Nikka Super Rare Old)
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• 0.75 oz Fig Syrup (recipe to follow)
• 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 egg white (make it vegan with 1 tbsp of chickpea aquafaba)
• 1 sprig of rosemary

FOR THE FIG SYRUP

• 1/2 cup fig preserves
• 1/2 cup water

Optional Garnish

• Sliced fresh figs
• A sprig of rosemary

Instructions

1. Begin by preparing the Fig Syrup. In a saucepan over medium / high heat, combine 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup fig preserves. Stir boiling mixture constantly for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

2. Pour Fig Syrup through a fine mesh strainer to separate any residual seeds, repeating as many times as necessary to achieve a smooth syrup. Add Fig Syrup to an airtight container — this recipe makes enough for many cocktails and will keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
3. Build your Rosemary Fig Japanese Whisky Sour in a cocktail shaker by adding 8 ice cubes and a fresh sprig of rosemary. Muddle the fresh rosemary amongst ice cubes to release its flavour.
4. Add Japanese whisky, Fig Syrup, egg white (or chickpea aquafaba), freshly squeezed lemon juice and shake vigorously, until cocktail shaker becomes frosty.

5. Perform a dry shake by removing the ice and shaking the contents a second time to ensure a frothy consistency.
6. Add fresh ice cubes to your cocktail glass, before straining contents overtop.
7. Sprinkle 3 dashes Angostura Bitters in the centre of the cocktail, swirling with a cocktail pique to create a circular design.
8. Garnish your Rosemary Fig Japanese Whisky Sour with a fresh spring of rosemary and a fresh fig, if desired.
9. Enjoy immediately!

5 from 5 votes

Print

ROSEMARY FIG JAPANESE WHISKY SOUR

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

My Rosemary Fig Japanese Whisky Sour is a deliciously luxurious juxtaposition of fall flavours and textures that you can shake up at home. This creative, comforting cocktail is creamy, smoky, sweet and sour -- enveloping your tastebuds in early autumn inspired warmth! Premium Japanese whisky (thanks to Adam's latest spirit obsession!) combines with egg whites (with a vegan option), fig syrup, bitters, fresh lemon juice and a sprig of rosemary shaken into a creamy, comforting sip that celebrates quintessential fall flavours in cocktail form. If your looking to satisfy your cocktail lounge cravings at home this autumn, look no further! Dust off your cocktail shaker, slip on your fuzzy slippers, light a fire and learn how to shake up this sumptuous, seasonally inspired Japanese whisky sour in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Course: Drinks

Servings: 1

Author: Justine

Ingredients

FOR THE ROSEMARY FIG JAPANESE WHISKY SOUR

• 2 oz Japanese Whisky (I used Nikka Super Rare Old)
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• 0.75 oz Fig Syrup (recipe to follow)
• 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 egg white (make it vegan with 1 tbsp of chickpea aquafaba)
• 1 sprig of rosemary

FOR THE FIG SYRUP

• 1/2 cup fig preserves
• 1/2 cup water

Optional Garnish

• Sliced fresh figs
• A sprig of rosemary

Instructions

1. Begin by preparing the Fig Syrup. In a saucepan over medium / high heat, combine 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup fig preserves. Stir boiling mixture constantly for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
2. Pour Fig Syrup through a fine mesh strainer to filter our any residual seeds, repeating as many times as necessary to achieve a smooth syrup. Add Fig Syrup to an airtight container — this recipe makes enough for many cocktails and will keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
3. Build your Rosemary Fig Japanese Whisky Sour in a cocktail shaker by adding 8 ice cubes and a fresh sprig of rosemary. Muddle the fresh rosemary amongst ice cubes to release its flavour.
4. Add Japanese whisky, Fig Syrup, egg white (or chickpea aquafaba), freshly squeezed lemon juice and shake vigorously, until cocktail shaker becomes frosty.
5. Perform a dry shake by removing the ice and shaking the contents a second time to ensure a frothy consistency.
6. Add fresh ice cubes to your cocktail glass, before straining contents overtop.
7. Sprinkle 3 dashes Angostura Bitters in the centre of the cocktail, swirling with a cocktail pique to create a circular design.
8. Garnish your Rosemary Fig Japanese Whisky Sour with a fresh spring of rosemary and a fresh fig, if desired.
9. Enjoy immediately!

MORE TRANSITIONAL SUMMER MEETS AUTUMN SIPS

Late Harvest Spiced Apple Sangria

Smoked Peach Maple Bourbon Smash

Sparkling Pomegranate Cranberry Sangria

Vanilla Pomegranate Mulled Wine 

Violette Noir Berry Sangria

Find these fall inspired sips, plus my favourite seasonal recipes in my 20+ Plant Based Fall Recipes Roundup! 

Have you ever tried Japanese whisky? While this trendy spirit isn’t something I would likely have ever tried on my own, I’m so glad Adam developed a penchant for it and started regularly stocking it in our home bar! If you’re looking to dip your toes into Japanese whisky but aren’t sure where to start, I highly recommend Nikka whiskies (and of course, using them to make my Rosemary Fig Japanese Whisky Sour!). Of all the Japanese whiskies we’ve tried, the Nikka Super Rare Old and the Nikka Coffey Grain (it doesn’t taste like coffee at all, despite the somewhat confusing name — but is made with a coffee still, which retains the flavors of ingredients and creates a unique texture!). 

As always, if you try my Rosemary Fig Japanese Whisky Sour leave me a comment below, or tag me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook! You can also use the hashtag #justinecelinacocktails in your beautiful recreations on social media — I love it when you guys tag me so I can see what you make! I also have a Pinterest board dedicated to better-for-you cocktail options with clean ingredients. Cheers, friends! Here’s to translating the most beautiful time of the year into cocktail form.

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and contains my genuine thoughts, ideas and recommendations. JustineCelina uses affiliate and referral links, which allow me to receive a small commission when you make a purchase through one of my links. Thank you for supporting the brands and businesses that support JustineCelina.com!