Whisky Fig Cranberry Sauce

So, it’s a few days before Thanksgiving and you’re scrambling? Well, set a pot on the stove, grab a bottle of your favourite bourbon or whisky, and make my famous Whisky Fig Cranberry Sauce. Feast or fiasco, with this grande dame on hand, you’ll be ready for whatever comes your way. You might just skip the turkey! [We’re skipping the bird this year…but, more on that later.]  Anyway, if you really want to get ahead of yourself, make a 3-4-x’s-the-size batch of this magic sawce and preserve it in pretty little jars to give away during the December holidays.

Now, pour a shot or two for yourself and get crackin.

Print Recipe

Whisky Fig Cranberry Sauce

Servings: 4 Quarter Pints Per Single Batch

Ingredients

For every 12 oz bag cranberries:

• 1/8 to 1/4 cup whisky 
• 3/4 cup apple cider, apple juice, or water
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup [50 g] diced dried apricots  [optional]
• 1 cup [8 oz] fresh figs tips and tails removed, sliced into eighths
• zest and juice of 1/2 lime or 1/4 lemon [zest will be added towards the end of the process]
• 1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cardamom [OPTIONAL]
• 1/4 tsp cloves

Instructions

• In a large pot over medium high heat, bring the cider [juice or water] to a boil.
• Add the sugar and stir until dissolved, bringing up to a boil [takes about 5 minutes].
• Add the cranberries and optional dried apricots. [If your cranberries are frozen, bring the mixture back to a boil before continuing.]
• Add the quartered fresh figs, citrus juice, extract, and spices, and return to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium low, boiling gently and stirring occasionally, until most all of the berries have burst and the liquid thickens considerably. Be sure to stop when the sauce begins to sheet on a metal spoon. [At least 15 minutes. Larger batches take longer. I prefer a jammy sauce, so I do tend to cook anywhere from 15-55 minutes.]
• Add the whisky and citrus zest and stir to incorporate.
• Boil the mixture on low, again, stirring occasionally, until the liquid once again sheets on a metal spoon. 
• Remove from heat. 
• At this point, the sauce may be ladled into hot sterilized jars and canned using a boiling water bath [leaving .25-in headspace in jars and processing for 15 minutes.]
• Or, ladle the sauce into containers, cool, seal, and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Notes

Feel free to slice your figs ahead of time and freeze them, too! 

2020 Update: This Christmas, I added about 1/8 cup of diced candied ginger [per bag of cranberries]  to my most recent batch.

This is a new and improved version of the Whisky Fig Cranberry Sauce from my previous website, The Lunchbox Season. That's still a great recipe. But, this one is streamlined and packs more of a punch!