Sip to Savor

Under the Fig Tree

Awinning cocktail recipe should equal more than a sum of its parts. On a recent Thursday evening, I tasted such a drink on the charming outdoor patio at Aguardente (pronounced “ah-gwar-DEN-t”), located in Providence’s Fox Point neighborhood.

Huddled around a cocktail table with a group of girlfriends, I sipped the Debaixo da Figueira (“Da-bosh de Fee-GAE-ra”), which literally translated from Portuguese means “under the fig tree.” Its formula summons warming nutmeg notes and refreshing wintergreen undertones of Wild Snow Dog Dry Gin (from Portugal) through layers of sweet and earthy fig jam, fresh lemon and sagehoney syrup.

The dazzling recipe is the collective brainchild of lead bartender Brooke Huemann and owner Victor Pereira, who says, “I wanted to relive my experience of growing up spending the afternoon eating fresh figs off the tree … that moment when nothing else mattered but the pleasant numbness of my taste buds.” Brooke somehow conjures Victor’s evocation, only this time with sparks of kumquat and ground cinnamon shining through a spirited canvas of gin and fruity fig, a perfect sip to savor as the first golden leaves of autumn begin to whirl.

Next round, Aguardente Manhattans for the table, a drink that encapsulates the culinary focus of the restaurant through its Portuguese-Guatemalan fusion and Spanish lineage. Instead of the traditional rye or bourbon whiskey base, Natalia Neves (resident artist and pivotal menu curator) swapped in an aged aguardente, a spirit distilled from grapes aged in oak with a taste that’s similar to Cognac. Spanish rojo vermouth and Ginja, a sour cherry cordial, adds round fruitiness—and an elegant and supremely tasty Ginja cherry garnish completes this fall harvest in liquid form.