Homemade Orgeat

Yields: About 2 cups | Almond syrup for tiki & stirred drinks

Ingredients

• 2 cups Raw Almonds (skin-on for deeper flavor; blanched for a paler, cleaner syrup)
• 1¼ cups Filtered Water
• 1 cup White Sugar
• ¼ cup Turbinado or Demerara Sugar
• ½–1 tsp Orange Flower Water (start low — it is potent)
• 1 oz Vodka or Brandy (helps shelf life)
• ½ tsp Homemade Almond Extract (optional boost)

Instructions

1. Toast: Spread almonds on a sheet pan. Toast at 400°F for about 4 minutes, shaking once, until fragrant — not dark brown. Cool.
2. Grind: Pulse in a food processor to a fine meal (not almond butter).
3. Syrup: Heat water and both sugars in a saucepan, stirring until dissolved. Bring just to a simmer (do not hard-boil into candy).
4. Steep: Stir in the ground almonds. Simmer gently 2–3 minutes, then kill the heat, cover, and steep 3–8 hours (overnight is fine, up to ~12).
5. Strain: Pour through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a nut-milk bag. Squeeze hard — the good stuff is in the pulp. Discard or bake with the spent meal.
6. Finish: Stir in orange flower water, spirit, and almond extract if using. Bottle. Refrigerate. Shake before every pour — almond oils separate; that is normal.