Fig Leaf Shakerato

This is THE espresso drink of the summer! Allow me to introduce you to the Fig Leaf Shakerato. It’s cold, refreshing, frothy, and uniquely flavored with toasted fig leaf sugar.

Have you tried a shakerato yet?? It’s an Italian coffee drink that involves shaking espresso with ice, as if you’re making a swanky cocktail. The result is a wonderfully frothy and very cold and refreshing beverage with an enticing layer of foam on top. It’s typically sweetened lightly, and in this version we’ll use fig leaf sugar (or syrup) as the sweetener.

I’m constantly coming up with new ways to sneak the special flavor of fig leaves into anything I can, and this is the simplest and possibly most rewarding recipe yet. The coconut and vanilla notes from the fig leaves make a delicious pairing with dark espresso.

Recipe highlights

• Super cold & frothy iced espresso heaven
• Only 2 ingredients needed: fig leaf sugar (or syrup!) + espresso
• Uniquely flavored with fig leaves (think coconut & vanilla flavor notes)
• Quick 5 min recipe!

Picking your fig leaves

Here’s a few things you should know before you prepare fig leaves for any recipe:

• Pick the youngest leaves. The tender leaves that emerge from the end of the branches tend to have the best flavor.
• Harvest any time between spring and fall. As soon as there’s enough leaves on the tree in early spring, you can start picking leaves. 
• You only need a handful. A batch of infused fig leaf sugar or fig leaf simple syrup only requires 5-10 fresh leaves.
• Their latex can irritate skin. When you pick fig leaves, the stems will emit a white latex that can irritate some people’s skin. However, it’s not difficult to simply avoid touching the latex or wear gloves when you harvest.

How to make fig leaf shakerato

Ingredients & tools needed

• A cocktail shaker OR large jar with lid + strainer
• 1 chilled coupe glass (or any other glass you love)
• Ice (6-8 cubes is great)
• Toasted fig leaf sugar OR fig leaf syrup
• Espresso shots (or very strongly brewed coffee)

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Prep: Pre-chill a glass by placing it in the freezer. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Mix: Pour espresso shots and fig leaf sugar/syrup over ice.
3. Shake: Secure lid tightly and shake until well chilled, about 30 seconds or so.
4. Strain: Strain mixture into chilled glass and enjoy immediately.

More fig leaf recipes & info

If you love fig leaves as much as I do, stick around! I’m constantly adding new recipes and inspiration for how to use this wonderful, versatile, and often overlooked ingredient.

Here are some recipes to get you started:

• Fig Leaf Crème Brûlée
• Toasted Fig Leaf Sugar
• Fig Leaf Syrup
• Fig Leaf Lemonade