Orgeat

Origin

Orgeat began as a barley water (orge is French for barley), recorded as early as the 1300s, and over the centuries almonds replaced the barley. Jerry Thomas's 1862 guide used it in the Japanese Cocktail, a drink he is thought to have created in 1860, and Trader Vic's Mai Tai, which he dated to 1944 against rival claims, made it a tiki essential. The modern bar recipe steeps toasted almonds in water, sweetens the strained milk with sugar and finishes it with orange flower water and sometimes rose water.

Production and safety

Tree nut (almond) allergen; list every orgeat drink. House recipe: toast 2 cups (280 g) blanched almonds lightly, pulse coarse, soak in 1.5 cups (360 ml) hot water for 4 hours or overnight in the fridge, blend, strain through muslin, squeezing well. Warm the almond milk gently with 1.5 cups (300 g) sugar until dissolved, cool, add 1 tsp orange flower water, optional 0.5 tsp rose water and 1 oz / 30 ml brandy or vodka as a preservative. Bottle while warm into a clean, labeled container, cool, and refrigerate. Keeps 2 weeks refrigerated (shake before use; it separates). Nut free alternative: the same method with pumpkin or sunflower seeds, flagged as seed based. Yield about 2 cups (480 ml).

Allergens: Tree Nuts

Common uses

• Mai Tai
• Japanese Cocktail
• Army and Navy
• Fog Cutter
• Trinidad Sour