On the rocks

You can’t help but notice the grand, majestic Moreton Bay fig tree -- a century-old icon that stands 80 feet tall and whose branches spread 120 feet -- as you arrive at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica. It’s the inspiration for the Figtini, offered inside at the Koi Bar and the Grille, where Kleiner Feigling Fig Vodka -- a German liquor infused with natural fig essence -- gets a shot of Grey Goose Citron and a splash of triple sec. The famous tree is too old to produce edible fruit, so mint leaves garnish the drink, except during fig season (summer), when you’ll find a slice of fresh fig on a lemongrass skewer. Citrusy and slightly sweet, it’s a cool, smooth and refreshing drink, though it smells and tastes more like fresh-sliced Granny Smith apples than fig. But you won’t care once the glass is empty.

-- Chris Rubin