As with all cocktails and ingredients, there are numerous different methods for making orgeat. A popular method calls for using blanched almonds but I wanted a richer, darker orgeat so I toasted my almonds.
Firstly, I started by making a sugar syrup which is equal parts (by weight) sugar and water. It’s easy to make but if you want a quick guide, see how to make sugar syrup here.
The orgeat recipe below will make approximately 1.5L.
- 500 grams of almonds
- 800g Sugar
- 800g Water
- 2 tablespoons of orange flower water
- 100mL of Vodka, Brandy or Rum (optional – this will make your orgeat keep longer)
1. Make a sugar syrup
2. Toast your almonds
3. Crush your almonds with a rolling pin or blitz them quickly in a blender
4. Add the toasted almonds to your sugar syrup
5. Stir the sweetened almond syrup over a low heat, don’t let it boil
6. Leave over the heat for at least 15 minutes before transferring to a jug.
7. Strain through a sieve or if you prefer a smoother syrup, use a cheesecloth to strain. Make sure you squeeze the cheesecloth to get all the oils from the almonds. As you can see below, I went for the easier/lazy method of straining quickly through a sieve).
8. Add the orange flower water and optional vodka/brandy/rum
You’ll notice how dark the orgeat is in comparison to the store bought orgeat due to the toasting method, it was also kept over the heat for a longer period to extract all the oils.
Thank you so much for your help today, I have successfully made Orgeat and it tastes great on its own, can’t wait to taste it with my Mai Tai later tonight (have to feed and water lots of people before I start drinking!!!). Have a happy new year and see you next cocktail.
Cheers
Joanne
Most welcome Joanne! Hope the Mai Tais went down a treat!! What recipe did you use for the cocktails? =)