The History
Orgeat—from the French ‘orge’ (barley)—was originally a barley water before almonds took over. The almond version became essential to the genre through its use in the Mai Tai and dozens of classic builds. Trader Vic considered good orgeat non-negotiable, and the character he wrote the canon around is the clean, white, floral profile of blanched (untoasted) almonds. Toasted yields a darker ‘Italian orzata’ note—pleasant, but a different drink in the glass than what Vic intended.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (16 oz) blanched (skinned) raw almonds—do not toast
- 16 oz cold filtered water (for the first soak)
- ~8 oz additional cold filtered water (for the second-strain pull)
- ~16 oz superfine or caster sugar (1:1 by weight with the finished almond milk)
- 1 oz orange flower water
- 1 oz brandy or vodka (optional, as preservative)
- Pinch of citric acid (optional; brightens and extends shelf life)
Directions
Pulse: In a food processor, pulse the blanched almonds until they form a coarse meal. Stop short of butter—you want texture, not paste.
First soak: Transfer the almond meal to a bowl. Cover with 16 oz cold filtered water. Let sit at room temperature for 3–4 hours, or overnight refrigerated.
First strain: Strain through fine mesh lined with cheesecloth, pressing hard to extract every drop of milk. Reserve both the milk and the spent meal.
Second pull (the Smuggler’s Cove double-strain): Return the spent meal to a small saucepan with ~8 oz fresh cold water. Warm gently over low heat—do not boil. After 5–10 minutes of gentle heat, strain a second time through cheesecloth, again pressing hard. Combine the second-pull liquid with the first-strain milk. This is the move that gets full intensity at a workable yield.
Weigh and sweeten: Weigh the combined almond milk. Add an equal weight of superfine sugar (1:1 by weight). Return to the saucepan and warm gently over low heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves—do not boil. Take it off heat as soon as it’s clear.
Finish: Off heat, stir in the orange flower water. Add the brandy and pinch of citric acid if using.
Final strain and store: Strain once more through fine mesh into a clean bottle. Cool completely, then refrigerate.
Yield: ~24–28 oz, depending on how hard you press the strains.
Don’t want to make it?
Bottled orgeat varies wildly in quality. A few worth seeking out:
- B.G. Reynolds The serious exotic-cocktail-syrup producer’s orgeat. Widely available online and at well-stocked liquor stores. Excellent.
- Liber & Co Texas producer. Smaller, more boutique, also excellent.
- Pratt Standard D.C.-based. Excellent.
- Small Hand Foods Bay Area, Smuggler’s Cove’s house-affiliated producer. Excellent.
- Monin / Torani Mass-market versions. Avoid; they’re typically over-sweetened, under-almond-flavored, and missing the orange flower water that makes real orgeat sing.
See Orgeat for the cultural context—etymology, history, why it matters in the canon, and what it tastes like at its best.