Make homemade orgeat syrup with almonds, sugar, and orange flower water! It’s an important ingredient in many Tiki cocktails, especially the Mai Tai.
Sure, you can buy pre-made orgeat syrup and it's decent, but we promise it's so easy to make your own at home. A classic Tiki cocktail ingredient, our homemade orgeat syrup is thicker and creamier than anything you can buy in a store!
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Nut milk bag: good substitutes for a nut milk bag are a couple layers of cheesecloth bundled together at the top like a small sack, or the leg of a pair of new, clean, unused pantyhose cut-off at the knee. A clean tea towel will also work in a pinch!
- Cognac: if you don't have cognac, vodka is a good replacement.
- Almonds: you can use any almonds you like - with or without skin, raw or blanched. You don't have to remove the skins from almonds if you don't want to. We just think it looks nicer.
Method
Step 1: soak the almonds for at least 30 minutes, then rinse and drain.
Step 2: if using whole almonds, remove the skins after soaking.
Step 3: make the almond milk in a blender, and strain through a nut milk bag.
Step 4: combine the almond milk and sugar in a pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then stir in the cognac and orange blossom water. Store in a jar.
Top Tips
- Soak for longer: to make the almonds easier to blend, soak them longer in the water, up to 12 hours.
- Don't reduce the almonds: the ratio of almonds to water in this recipe is high for a reason. The result is more like almond cream than milk.
- Omit the alcohol: you can make homemade orgeat syrup alcohol-free simply by omitting the cognac, but note that the syrup will only last 4 to 5 days without the alcohol.
- Keep the orange blossom: orange blossom water is an essential ingredient in homemade orgeat syrup. You should be able to find it easily in most specialty, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern grocery stores.
How to Store
Storage: keep the fully cooled orgeat in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a month. A glass jar is best to avoid any other flavours leaking into the syrup.
Freezing: keep orgeat in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.
How to Use Orgeat
Orgeat syrup is great drizzled on ice cream, or over fresh summer fruit. Peaches and plums are especially good as they both belong to the same genus as almonds!
It's also good on pancakes, waffles, or pound cake. Basically use it anywhere you like a touch of added flavour and sweetness.
FAQ
Is orgeat like amaretto?
It has a similar almond, lightly floral flavour, but orgeat is thicker and creamier than amaretto.
What does orgeat syrup taste like?
A little like marzipan (almond paste) it has a fairly strong almond flavour and a hint of floral orange taste from the orange blossom water.
Can you put orgeat syrup in coffee?
Absolutely! Add a dash of orgeat to a strong cup of coffee to sweeten and add a touch of alcohol - you can even make a coffee Mai Tai!
More Delicious Drinks
If you make this Orgeat recipe or any other drink recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Homemade Orgeat Syrup
Equipment
- Nut milk bag
- Blender
- Small saucepan
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 2 cups almonds raw or blanched, with or without skins
- 4 cups water
- 3 cups sugar
- â…“ cup cognac
- ½ to 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
Instructions
- Being by making the almond milk.
- Soak the almonds in enough water to completely cover them. Let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then rinse and drain, discarding the water.
- If using almonds with skins, remove after soaking. The skins should slip off easily!
- Add the soaked almonds to a blender with the water. Purée until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Drain the almond mixture through a nut milk bag, squeezing out as much of the almond milk as you can. Set the almond pulp aside for another use if you like.
- Combine the almond milk and sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then stir in the cognac and orange blossom water.
- Start with ½ teaspoon of orange blossom water and add more to taste as needed, up to 1 teaspoon.
- Once the orgeat is at room temperature, store it in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.