Fig Margaritas

Deliciously autumnal, Fig Margaritas are the perfect drinkie for the fall months. They are so pretty, thanks to fresh fig syrup that you can easily make or purchase. Plus, they are simple to shake together at home, saving you time and money.

Everything has gotten more expensive lately, but have you seen the price of cocktails? Whoo-ee. It’s well into the double-digit range. A margarita at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Laguna Beach is anywhere from $15 to $25, depending on the brand of tequila. Ouch. What a damper on date night when the price of drinks is nearly equal to the cost of the entrees.

But! We don’t have to go out for drinks.

Make Cocktails at Home

In another life, I used to be a ghostwriter of other people’s blogs and cookbooks. It was while I was working on a cocktail and home mixology book that the lightbulb went off in my head—I can make these drinks at home!

The caveat, of course, is we won’t enjoy the ambiance and luxury of someone else shaking together our liquid sanity saver. But if it means I don’t have to drive anywhere and can enjoy a cocktail while watching The Great British Baking Show in my jammies, then I am very happy to make my own cocktail, thank you very much.

Cost

For fun, let’s price out how much it is to make a margarita at home. These costs are all approximations based on the price of 750mL bottles at my local BevMo. It may be cheaper or more expensive in your area. And if you get your liquor at Costco, the price per ounce is probably going to be less.

As reference, a 750mL bottle is approximately 25 ounces. If we use 2 ounces per drink, we can make 12-ish drinks per bottle. I chose two tequilas, one considered value-priced and the other top-shelf.

Warning: lots of numbers ahead. And they are all loosey-goosey, not scientific, and rounded to the nearest cent.

Value-priced:

• Cazadores Reposado Tequila is $21.99 at BevMo = around 88 cents per ounce
• Triple Sec is $10.99 at BevMo = around 44 cents per ounce
• Limes are 33 cents and yield around 1 ounce
• Cazadores (2 oz) + triple sec (1 oz) + lime juice (½ oz) = $2.36 per cocktail

Top-shelf:

• Patron Silver is $39.99 at BevMo = around $1.60 per ounce
• Cointreau is $37.99 at BevMo = around $1.52 per ounce
• Limes are 33 cents and yield around 1 ounce
• Patron (2 oz) + Cointreau (1 oz) + lime juice (½ oz) = $4.88 per cocktail

Compare that to the $25 margarita at the Mexican restaurant. Excited? Me too.

Lessons Learned

• Fig simple syrup is easy to make (recipe is here) and is a two-fer. For your efforts, you get a delicious figgy syrup to use in cocktails, salad dressings, marinades, and desserts. You also come away with jammy fig pieces that are fantastic over yogurt, ice cream, and savory appetizers.
• If you are saying to yourself “That sounds delicious but I’m never going to make fig syrup in a million years,” then you will be happy to know you can purchase 8 ounces fig syrup on Amazon for $19.75.
• Quality ingredients are key to a good cocktail! Buy the best that you can comfortably afford.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Kasey, my supplier of fresh figs, for giving me the idea for fig margaritas.

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