Orgeat syrup is an amazing ingredient in cocktails it adds a layer of nut flavor and creaminess.
Now you can easily put your hands on some commercial orgeat at any liquor store.
but the problem is – most of them lack the texture and quality of a homemade one and have huge amounts of sugar or corn syrup.
The Orgeat is an essential ingredient in Mai-Tais and a variety of other tiki cocktails.
here I will teach how to easily make your own homemade Orgeat that will take your tiki cocktail game to the next level.
What Exactly is Orgeat
Orgeat is basically a nuts syrup usually almonds but you can replace it with different kinds of nuts (try Cashew orgeat – one of my favorites ).
it’s always a good idea to have the basic almonds variation and another one in case you want to try something more interesting.
This syrup is made from basic ingredients all you need is sugar, water, almonds and orange water (I also like to add some aged rum to enhance the flavors).
the process is very similar to simple syrup just with few more steps.
What Can I Use It For?
This syrup has a really creamy texture and will incorporate beautifully with a huge amount of shaken cocktails.
in short, you can add it to almost any rum-based cocktail (Shaken only!) and you’ll see what I mean.
The most basic and popular cocktail that contains orgeat is the Mai-Tai.
start with it to see if you like it.
moreover, this syrup will pair well especially with pineapple juice or coconut water/milk.
How To Make Orgeat
This is my own recipe I use for my bar programs and cocktails.
after a lot of try and error I got the balance I was looking for.
it may not work for you so feel free to tweak the recipe to your taste.
As with all my syrup recipes, I make small quantities just to keep it simple.
however, you can increase the volume to your needs just make sure to keep the ratio between the ingredients.
How To Make Orgeat
The classic tiki almond syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup of chopped almonds (100gr)
- 1 1/2 cup of water
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange water
- 60ml aged rum
- tools:
- saucepan, cheesecloth, fine mesh strainer, and a large bowl.
Instructions
- make sure your almonds are peeled (I simply buy pre-chopped and peeled almonds).
- in a small saucepan toast your almonds on medium heat for about 5-10min
- keep toasting until the almonds get a brownish color
- take out the toasted almonds and keep it aside in a bowl
- clean the saucepan from any almonds residue
- add the water and bring to boil then add the sugar (just like simple syrup)
- keep stirring until all sugar is completely dissolved
- now add the almonds to the syrup and stir
- boil everything on medium heat for 10 min (stir constantly)
- turn the heat off and let the mixture sit until its completely cool
- place the cheesecloth over the strainer and pour the syrup over
- start moving the mixture around to let all the liquids strain into the bowl
- after the majority of the liquids are strained, close the cloth into a bag-like shape and start squeezing it gently with both your hands, do this until all the liquids are drained from the mixture.
- add 60ml of aged rum and a teaspoon of orange water into the bowl, stir and move into a sealed container (to preserve it longer).
Notes
Keep your syrup refrigerated at all times.
The high content of sugar and the rum should keep it for about a month.
Feel free to replace the almonds with other nuts (I recommend Cashew).
Feel free to share this recipe, leave me a comment or contact me about any questions you may have. Cheers!
Awesome recipe. My first attempt was light years away from the store bought stuff in terms of texture, foam and flavor profile. Questions, though:
1) how finely do you chop the almonds? Yours almost looks like almond flour. I tried blending mine but the fines got overly toasty and imparted too much roasted flavor and a dark color.
2) does yours have a layer of sediment floating at the top? I have double strained my with cheesecloth, but to no avail. What you are using looks much more tightly knit than cheesecloth, so I’m curious.
There was a bit of almond grit in my tiki at first…but after it was gone, the taste was phenomenal…otherwise, it was an odd roasted profile that certainly wasn’t bad…but it didn’t fit.
In any event, I’d very much appreciate your insights. Thank you!
Jesse
Hi Jesse,
First of all, thank you for comment 🙂
1. When using whole almonds I use a food processor and chop them until they are very fine (much like flour), where I live I can get high-quality pre-chopped almonds that are ready to use (the one I use in this recipe).
for the toasting part, I simply prefer a toasty flavor but you don’t have too. you can use the almonds as is to get a lighter flavor.
I toast the almonds on low heat very lightly (you always need to stir to prevent it from burning) I will recommend doing a try-and-error with small batches until you find the right balance that you like.
2. Mine has just a thin layer of sediment and you’re right, the cloth I’m using is called fish-cloth and it’s a product you can find in commercial kitchens (that’s where I got it) I prefer it because it’s a bit denser than the supermarket cheesecloth (try using 2 layers of cheesecloth to get a better result).
I will be happy to answer any other questions you have, feel free to contact me 🙂
Thanks so much, John. Excited to give this a go. I will give your suggestions a try and see how I fair.
I do have one more question. I see your recipe calls for passion fruit syrup. Are you making your own or buying something premade?
I had one bad try making my own passion fruit syrup (didn’t find a good recipe yet) so I use a premade one.
I prefer Monin, it’s affordable and tastes good but keep in mind that it is extremely sweet so try not to use too much, it will ruin the drink.
Good deal, thank you John. I’ll also keep my eye out for your own homemade recipe, as I’m sure you’ll nail it. Appreciate all of the tips and info. Great site!
Thanks for the great tips love the real Bartenders Association. It is like the magic fariy comes in to enhance every aspect of your meal. You can smell that light hint of a before dinner drink to wash the pallet all the way to a fine Red wine. After while you can smell every aspect of a meal as a fine dining type Bartender. I love to build my own creations with food. And this just so that people know it is hard work not a cake job. It’s not all tits and ass as people may think however I would want the best representative for my establishment. Like on the baou of a mystery Prirate type ship but that is another story.