A Fig & Maple Sour: Harvest Moon Drink Recipe
Looking for a drink to sip in the seasonal change, while celebrating the harvest moon and the myriad of flavors it brings? Well, look no further than this fig and maple sour, harvest moon drink recipe!
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Recipe for the Harvest Moon: Fig & Maple Sour
With spices like nutmeg and a hint of (optional) anise, bright and rejuvenating lemon, and earthy sage, this Fig & Maple, spiced vodka sour recipe is sure to invoke the creative inspiration, spiritual wisdom, and warmth of the season. And a nonalcoholic rendition is included, so that all can enjoy the magic of the Harvest moon in drink formation!
Bridging the gap between summer harvest herbs, and the earthy, warm tones that accompany the forthcoming chill of fall, I designed this concoction to bring together the themes of bright, attentive Virgo season and the fluid, inspired Pisces moon that lights it up.
Enjoy this Harvest Moon drink recipe to celebrate the end of summer and the coming of fall, imbibe under the light of harvest moon, or use it to help you energetically attune to the transitional themes, the inspiration, sensuality and spiritual wisdom that the autumn brings.
Learn about more the ingredients, their magical associations and flavors, and tools I used below – or skip ahead further down for the autumn drink recipes!
Maple Fig Vodka Sour Cocktail Recipe Ingredients
When it comes to the magic of this harvest moon cocktail, many different intentions, ingredients, and flavors come together, to craft this fig vodka drink for the Harvest and Pisces moons, while celebrating the transition from summer to fall admits Virgo Season. Here are the ingredients you will need, a bit about their flavor and inspiration, as well as a little on the folklore and magic these elements bring.
- Fig Spread/Preserve
The shining star of this fig cocktail that you will need, to give it its deep amber color and key seasonal flavor, is fig spread or preserve (bonus points if you manage to find fresh fig!). Fig adds a richness to this concoction, while adding energetic potency for divination, sensuality, strength/energy, and abundance.
I personally used Private Selection Sweet Honey Fig Spread, which I found for $3.61, and can double as nice treat with toast, or atop an appetizer of a brie smeared cracker alongside a drizzle of honey and slice of apple.
- 3 Fresh Culinary Sage Leaves
Available in most grocery stores in the herb section, this wonderful kitchen herb helps add a hint of earthy aroma to compliment the lemon in this maple sour. Sage brings in elements of summer and the harvest season, while adding energy of wisdom, purification, spirituality, and insight (perfect for those fading summer nights, or rainy days of introspection).
- Maple Syrup
Few people would think of harvest cocktails when it comes to maple syrup, but let me tell you – it certainly works wonders! Maple adds a subtle woodsy, grounding aroma to this concoction, and also heightens energy of longevity, money and love.
For this concoction, I immediately went to my personal favorite of WytchWood maple syrup, (of which there are many delicious infusions of maples syrup to choose from, to add more flavor options to your concoction). Maple syrup can vary from brand to brand, so if using another maple syrup, be sure to start with less in your maple cocktail and add more, if needed.
- Lemon
For calling down the brightness and rejuvenation of the full summer moon, I can imagine no better citrus than lemon! Lemon plays well with the maple and sage in this refreshing concoction, while enhancing elements of creativity, joy, longevity, love, and cleansing (already strengthening the themes set forth by the fig, maple, and sage).
For this drink, I suggest about 1 ounce of fresh juiced lemons – which one large, juicy lemon can usually provide. I personally use this hand juicer when making just a small handful of drinks, or an electric juicer like this one when I want to prep more for a little harvest party cocktail.
- Ground Nutmeg
A pinch of nutmeg in this harvest moon drink recipe compliments the fig flavors, and enhances the feeling of fall by adding that hint of spice. A lunar spice also ruled by Jupiter, nutmeg helps add energies of luck, money, health, and fidelity.
Ground nutmeg from any grocery store should do. Or, for extra magical moment, you can source whole nutmeg from your local spice shop or etsy and a microplane grater to freshly grind a tad of nutmeg into your concoction.
- Lavender Bitters, or Fresh Lavender (Optional)
If you wish to go a step further, adding a few drops or just a touch of lavender, can help enhance the myriad of summer herbs aromas in this fig cocktail. Lavender, a known relaxant, helps purify the mind for peace and happiness, enhancing intuitive connection and allowing ones inspiration and ideas to flow through easily.
You can add any variation of fresh lavender (if you are so lucky – fresh French Lavender is one of my favs!), use bitters, or perhaps even tried a touch of dried lavender! I personally used Dashfire Lavender bitters, but Scrappy’s Lavender Bitters are also pretty good, and you can even learn how to make your own in my new upcoming book,Moon, Magic, Mixology!
- Vodka (For the alcoholic version)
For this concoction, the base liquor you are going to use is vodka. When it comes to vodka, using a clean and crisp spirit is usually best, as its clarity can really carry through. For this concoction, I personally use Ving Vodka – an organic, ingredient-transparent, and woman-owned vodka company.
While some may be fearful of anise flavoring, be careful not to overlook this wonderful spice! As is the case with this fig cocktail, just a hint of anise can really bring together a beverage, while not becoming overwhelming or even identifiable. Used as a quick rinse to coat the glass this cocktail, this small amount of anisette (or anise liqueur) helps blend the spiced flavors, and adds energetic potency of ones psychic abilities, of purification, clarity, and spiritual wisdom.
- Ginger Beer (For Nonalcoholic Variation)
For the nonalcoholic version of this concoction, the spiced magic and fire of ginger compliments the rich flavor of fig and maple. Ginger helps enhance matters of longevity, love, money, success and power, making the perfect energetic compliment to fig both energetically and flavorwise!
When it comes to cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks, Q Ginger Beer is a personal favorite of mine, but Fevertree is also a great choice. Many of these you can find in a grocery store, in the soda or section or by the liquor section.
- Tools
To make this concoction, there are a few tools you may need. I personally use a traditional Boston shaker, a jigger and a hawthorn and mesh strainer (to catch the fig and spice bits). You can also get a kit like this to try and cover any tools you may need for future bartending uses. However, you can try and improvise with tools you have at home to save money, like a mason jar, or converting ounces to table and teaspoons. You can also find most of these items in your local spirits store. Additionally, you may want a muddler like this to break up the sage (if desired), but you can also use the back of a wooden spoon, or break up the pieces by hand before adding to your concoction.
Once you have all your tools and ingredients, you are ready to make your Harvest Moon Fig & Maple Sour!
Harvest Moon Fig & Maple Sour
Energies: Creative Inspiration, Inner Knowing, Love, Prosperity & Abundance Longevity, Spirituality,
Fig & Maple Vodka Sour
Ingredients
- 1/8 ounce anise liqueur or anisette (optional – for cocktail rinse)
- 3 fresh sage leaves
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 barspoon fig spread or preserve (or 1/2 teaspoon)
- 5 dashes lavender bitters (optional)
- 1/4-1/2 ounce maple syrup (I used Wytchwood)
- 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1.5 ounces vodka (I used Ving Vodka)
- 1 star anise (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a Coupe or stemmed glass, place an ice cube and top with anisette. Set aside.
- In a Boston shaker, add sage, nutmeg, fig, lavender, and maple syrup. You may wish to muddle the sage into the other ingredients with the back of a wooden spoon or muddler, to better express its flavor.
- Add in lemon juice and vodka. Add ice, close shaker, and shake until the outside of the shaker has a slight layer of condensation, letting you know your concoction is chilled. Set aside.
- Grab your stemmed glassware, and quickly rinse or coat the inside of the glass with the anisette and ice cube, but giving it a quick twirl so that the inside of the glass has an even coat of the liqueur. Shake out the ice cube and extra anisette into the sink.
- Using a hawthorn and mesh strainer, strain your concoction from your shaker into the lightly rinsed glass. Garnish with anise star.
Harvest Moon Fig & Maple Sour Nonalcoholic Recipe
It is my firm belief, as a mixologist and bartender, than many a drink can be enjoyed just as beautifully (and sometimes more so) in a non alcoholic version. The magic and flavor of the season and spirited libations, can be enjoyed in all forms! Read below for a nonalcoholic variation on this concoction.
Fig & Maple Sour (Nonalcoholic Drink Recipe)
Ingredients
- 5 fresh sage leaves, separated
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 barspoon fig spread or preserve (or 1/2 teaspoon)
- 1 pinch fresh or dried lavender (optional)
- 1/3-1/2 ounce maple syrup (I used WytchWood)
- 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1.5-2 ounces ginger beer (I used Q ginger Beer)
- 1 piece star anise (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a Boston shaker, add sage, nutmeg, fig, lavender, and maple syrup. You may wish to muddle the sage into the other ingredients with the back of a wooden spoon or muddler, to better express its flavor.
- Add in lemon juice and ice. Close shaker, and shake until the outside of the shaker has a slight layer of condensation, letting you know your concoction is chilled. Set aside.
- Grab either stemmed glassware (if desired) or a glass filled with ice. Using a hawthorn and mesh strainer, strain your concoction from your shaker into the lightly rinsed glass.
- Garnish with anise star and extra sage leaves.
Here is a short video on how to make this cocktail!
Interested in some more surprising maple syrup concoctions? Check out this Maple & Rose maple cocktail, with strawberry, peach, and rum!
Trying any of these concoctions? Let me know! Feel free to reach out to me on instagram with questions or comments.
Works Cited
Interested in learning more about the folklore and magic of different herbs and ingredients? Here are some kitchen witchery books I use to help guide my us of ingredients!
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen. Llewellyn Publications, 1990.
- Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. Llewellyn Publications, 1985.
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