Anyone who enjoys almonds should enjoy orgeat. When made well, it captures the essence of the nut, it's perfume and delicate sweetness. When poorly made it tastes like sweetened almond milk. People have told me that you can make orgeat by boiling down commercial almond milk, but it may have gums and other ingredients in it. For the same cost, but a little more effort, you can make sensational orgeat.
This recipe comes from Sean Hoard and Daniel Shoemaker, and was published in The Bartender's Pantry by Jim Meehan and Bart Sasso. I didn't think the flavor would be as sensational as the book promised. Toasted almond goodness with a delicate floral aroma suspended in a milky, pale caramel-ish looking sweet liquid. I was skeptical and glad to be proven wrong. You can make sensational orgeat from five (5) ingredients.
What is orgeat?
Many moderns know orgeat as a tiki bar must-have for tropical cocktails but it's ancient stuff, derived from Latin, connected to "orge" (French for barley), and loosely related to horchata. There are many iterations, some of which are served chilled at weddings in Tunisia and Libya to symbolize purity and to celebrate the joyful occasion. Some versions are made with bitter almonds, while others include spices such as cinnamon and clove. Soumada, enjoyed in Cyprus and parts of Greece, dates back to Roman times. People in Crete cultivate and eat a lot of nuts, preferring their Soumada, the "drink of happiness", to be made from fresh Cretan almonds.
Orgeat uses
Use the orgeat for cocktails such as the Windowsill Spritz or a Mai Tai. Serve it plain on the rocks. It's likely good on pancakes and waffles.
When you make this recipe, DO NOT discard the ground almond solids, as the recipe suggests. Used it for baking a super easy blender almond cake. I drizzled orgeat on the cake for an extra hit of almond flavor. The solids are can be added to oatmeal instead of nuts, or a smoothie. The solids freeze like a dream too!
Ingredient and equipment tips
Almonds -- what kind? The recipe calls for raw slivered almonds. When unavailable, use sliced blanched almonds. I could only find toasted sliced almonds and came up with a workaround, described in the recipe below.
Orange blossom (flower) water varies in potency. Fees is subtle and you'll have to use triple amount needed. Cortas is much stronger so stick with the recipe quantity.
Scaling down the recipe? A little orgeat goes a long way. I used an 8-ounce (222g) bag of Trader Joe's sliced almonds and yielded about 2 ¾ cups. I put it in 2 jars and froze one. That's plenty for cocktail making at home, which is why I edited the original recipe quantities to meet your (and my) needs. The quantities below are simply 75 percent of the original amounts published in the very informative and inspiring book, The Bartender's Pantry.
What is a nut milk bag? It's a super fine mesh bag used for making nut milks. I've used it for fresh soy milk too. It's very handy and easy to clean. Mine (below by the mesh strainer) is relatively big so I can put lots in and squeeze well. It has served me well for years.
Orgeat
Ingredients
- 8 oz (222g) slivered almonds (see tip above if using pre-roasted almonds and/or sliced almonds)
- 20 oz (2 ½ cups) cold filtered water
- 420 g (good 2 cups) granulated sugar
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
- 3 to 4 drops orange blossom water, preferably Cortas brand
Instructions
- Use the book's illustrated instructions below to toast, soak, grind, filter, and sweeten the toasted almond milk to create an incredible orgeat. When using raw sliced almonds, bake them at 350F for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring midway through. (If the almonds are already toasted, warm them in a large skillet over medium-low heat to refresh, for several minutes, stirring, until they ware warm and fragrant.Don't compost the ground almond solids left over. Reserve them for baking or other dishes (see Tips above).
Notes
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