How to Make Orgeat - Homemade Almond Rich Simple Syrup

This homemade Orgeat Syrup is made with Marcona Almonds, Sugar, Water, Orange Flower Water, Rose Water and Vodka (as a preservative). It's a bit of a labor-intensive syrup, but totally worth the effort.

This recipe comes from my favorite home bartender's book, The 12 Bottle Bar by Leslie and David Solmonson. It's a slightly different approach to Orgeat than the more typical recipes. Recipes from places like Smuggler's Cove by Rebecca and Martin Cate or Total Tiki from Beachbum Berry, have recipes for what is essentially, extremely sweetened almond milk. This recipe toasts and steeps the almonds to draw out the flavor and the result is a little more of a clarified syrup and a lot less chalky of an aftertaste.

The other benefit is it is a little easier than the sweet almond milk version. However, that being said, it still takes some effort to make it happen. But this recipe makes for a fairly large batch, so you won't have to do it as often.

The Vodka was not included in 12 Bottle Bar's original recipe, but I like to add it to just give the syrup a little extra shelf life. I guess doing this part really depends on how fast you go through the syrup. Enjoy!

Recipe:
8 oz, by weight (227 g) raw almonds (preferably Marconas Almonds)
4 cups (946 ml) water
8 cups (1,893 ml) sugar
0.25 teaspoon (1 ml) orange flower water
0.25 teaspoon (1 ml) rose water
1.5 oz (45 ml) Vodka (optionally, used as preservative)

Toast the almonds in a pan over medium heat. Stir regularly for 6-8 mins, until they start to turn golden. Let the almonds cool down to room temperature in a bowl.

Coarsely chop a little over half of the almonds. You only want enough to produce 1 cup.

Grind the rest of the almonds in a food processor until it is a fine meal.

Pour your 1 cup of chopped almonds, half cup of the ground almonds, water and sugar into a large pot. Heat on high until it comes to a boil (about 10 minutes).

Remove from heat. Stir and cover, leaving the lid ajar to let steam escape. Let steep for 12 hours.

Strain through a large strainer, then a fine-mesh strainer. Discard the solids. Add the orange flower water and rose water. Optionally, add Vodka. Pour into bottles. Store in the refrigerator.

Music:
Retro Is The Real Thing 1 by Bo Järpehag
via Epidemic Sound

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Featured in this Episode:

Spanish Marcona Almonds

Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Cane Sugar

Fee Brothers Rose Water

Fee Brothers Orange Flower Water

Aylesbury Duck Vodka

The 12 Bottle Bar

Other Orgeat Recipes:
Smuggler's Cove

Total Tiki App

Bar Tools:

OXO 4-Cup Angled Measuring Cup

OXO Angled Measuring Cup, Mini

OXO Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons

Cuisinart Set of 3 Fine Mesh Stainless Steel Strainers

Stainless Steel Funnels, Set of 3

Cast Iron Skillet

Stainless Stockpot with Cover, 6-Quart

Epicurean Non-Slip Series Cutting Board

Chop & Serve Knife

Wooden Spoon

1L (34oz) Swing Top Glass Bottle

500 ml Cruet, Glass Bottle w/Stainless Steel Pourer Spout

Digital Kitchen Scale

Cuisinart Mini-Prep Food Processor

[ashergreen]

I used this recipe to make a toasted 4 nut rich orgeat. I went with half the recipe, divided the nut component into 1 oz each almond, peanut, pistachio, and macadamia, toasted them in the oven one batch at a time (nuts may toast at different rates). I used Demerara sugar and strained the batch through a nut milk bag after your suggested strainers. I spiked the resultant orgeat with 1/4 oz each vodka, amaretto, and macadamia nut liqueur. I only used it for one cocktail so far, but it was terrific in that. I saved the sweetened chopped and processed nuts and had them with breakfast cereal today, and that was also great. Thanks for the recipe and the channel!

[fabcraftsandmore]

I love your videos. Your step by step is so easy to follow. You make what seems like something complicated into an easy to execute project!! Thank you!

[spacey]

Thanks for this. If you had posted Amazon affiliate links to the equipment you used in the recipe. I would have bought some. Need that fine mesh strainer and air tight bottle!

[aaronweyl]

Sounds great recipe to make!

I think you could also add other flavours like Vanilla Extract?

[nathanspeer]

Getting ready for a round of Tiki videos, DS? Gotta include the Fog Cutter! If you want to sample one, check out Tiki Ti's take on it, which is the same recipe the grandfather used to make when working for Trader Vic's when it was around. The one I like the most is from Beachbum Berry's Grog Log, and works on a scaling prinicple of 2:1:0.5:

2 oz white rum
1 oz brandy
0.5 oz gin

2 oz fresh sq lemon
1 oz fresh sq orange
0.5 oz orgeat

float sherry

What matters most in this recipe, I've found, is if you can pick your lemon variety. Meyer works great in this, so it might mean a trip to the fancier grocery store. I've cheated and used low pulp OJ and that's fine for the orange. Cream or Oloroso Sherry work best, here, the cheap cream sherry from TJ's is fine, but if you can find some Drysack Oloroso 15 (not too terribly uncommon) it's an awesome upgrade to the cocktail. Surprisingly I've found messing around with the booze in the cocktail matters very little; I really like the 12 bottle bar recommendation of Paul Masson VSOP and it works great in this recipe! If you haven't picked up a white rum for you upcoming videos, really check out Plantation 3 etoiles (three star), it's the best white I've found being imported at the moment. Anyways, if you've got all the ingredients lying around fire one up! Amazing cocktail, probably my favorite of the tiki drinks. Cheers, man!

[jasoncraddock]

You are bad ass. Thanks for all of your videos.

[Vdran]

Great recipe! Thank you.
I used light rum instead of vodka but I could not find the orange flower water.
Do you think a drop of Cointrau can substitute it?

[dgrahamw]

I've been making mine using almond milk. This recipe looks like the way to go. I can't wait to try it! Thanks!

[detroitdieselpower]

I’m trying this for my next batch simply to avoid dealing with cheesecloth. What do you think of leaving the almond skins on? I’ve come across a recipe suggesting that for a more nutty taste although I’ve never tried it.

[FantomMind]

Quick question before I attempt this in the upcoming weekend. Why is it important to have both big chunks of almonds and grind ones? Would fully grinding the entire thingbe better for more flavor?

[oshryalk]

is it possible to cut the amounts in half? will it still work?

[thecaverns]

Thanks for the great video. Can you freeze this if you aren’t planning on using the rest?

[mariusoppedal]

Hi there! Thanks for all the great videos. I'm going to try making both your grenadine and this next weekend. I am probably not going to get ahold of Marcona almonds here, but for the ones I get, is it important that they are peeled?

[lakoakos]

Hello! Thanks for the video! Just made the first part, boiled nicely.
A question I have. Should not Vodka go in right after it's chilled?
I'm just thinking Vodka could extract more almond flavor out. What do you think? Thanks for your help!

[JamesW]

Got mine steeping now. Only made half the quantity, but we'll see how fast it gets used!

[bernardocarrillo]

I love your channel!! Can I use bourbon instead of vodka?

[ibnkhaldoun]

forgot to toast mine, oops, remembered when they were steeping. How much should this impact taste?

[ANigerianPrince]

Thanks for telling me about this channel, Matt!

[davidcrowley]

I was just thinking that if I couldn't find orange blossom water, could I use curacao or triple sec to add a little brightness?

[pietrosammarco]

Recipe looks great -- and also looking forward to the yogurt topping :) -- but wondering why you think the recipe asks for the two sizes of almonds... or in other words, why leave part of the almonds in large bits, instead of pulverizing all of the almonds. Does it create a variation in flavour somehow, a wider bouquet so to speak?