Since I last wrote about how to make orgeat syrup my coffers have been oozing with the stuff. It was a good product, completely functional, and better than anything you could buy. But it had two faults:

1. It was annoying as hell to make.
2. The almond flavor just wasn’t punchy enough.

The old recipe had a Thomas Kellerian complexity and a Sandra Lee taste. Ok, perhaps that’s a bit of a stretch, but when you compare it to the new recipe, it seems to harken from the dark ages. The new recipe, however, is so streamlined even Chris Kimball would cock an eyebrow. And it tastes as if Joël Robuchon just cast the equivalent of Nailed to the Sky on my orgeat syrup.

Old Wive’s Tales About Orgeat

• Almond Skins make it bitter. FALSE. In comparison to what? Girl Scout Cookies? Almond skins add delicious almond flavor, especially when toasted.
• You must carefully cut your almonds. FALSE. This is often suggested to keep the mixture from getting cloudy. Just bash the hell out of them and make sure you strain properly.
• Add a 2nd batch of sugar and reheat the next day. What? Who came up with this time-waster of an idea, and why did I think it necessary the first time?

How to Make Orgeat Syrup

I’ve increased the amount of almonds, decreased the amount of sugar, and omitted a whole batch of annoying from the recipe. (12oz of almonds and 5lb of sugar? The penguin was obviously confused.)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2lb whole, raw almonds
• 4c sugar
• 2c water
• 3 dashes orange flower water
• 3 dashes rose water

Directions

1. Toast almonds. (oven at 400F for 10-15 minutes, tossing once or twice)
2. Add to a double-ply ziplock and bash the living hell out of them with a rolling pin. (you’ll have a few whole pieces left, some crumbs and everything in-between)
3. Add almonds with sugar and water to a pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for two minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for at least 12 hours.
4. Strain through two layers of cheese cloth. Add the rose and orange flower waters. Bottle.

Orgeat Giveaway

Like last time, I’ll be giving away a bottle of the new formula to a random commenter on this post – all you need to do is answer the KP Questions below!

I couldn’t leave you without a potion! Blood orange are in season again and there was a new rum at the liquor store, whose label was apparently designed by a Cthulhu disciple.

Cthulhu Punch

• 1oz Appleton V/X
• 1oz El Dorado 3-year
• 1oz Kraken rum
• 1oz Kummel
• 1oz blood orange juice
• 1/2oz lime juice
• 1oz orgeat syrup
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• blood orange slice, for garnish

Shake with ice and a touch of fear. Sacrifice to a glass filled with Antarctic crushed ice.

Rick from Kaiser Penguin

KP Questions

1. Have a different orgeat recipe? Post it in the comments!
2. What’s your favorite cocktail that uses orgeat?