Description
Hazelnut orgeat is a sweet, nutty, and roasty flavored syrup commonly used in tiki drinks! We think orgeat syrup deserves a place on every home chef’s kitchen shelf so today we’ll show you how to make your own hazelnut orgeat!
Ingredients
- 1 cup hazelnuts (or other nut)
- 1 cup cane sugar (or white sugar
- 1 cup water
- pinch salt
Optional:
- 1 teaspoon orange flower water or 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1–2 tablespoons vodka or brandy, to preserve
Instructions
- Toast the nuts in a skillet over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring often until browned and fragrant. Alternatively, you can roast the nuts on a baking sheet in a 350* oven for 15 minutes, removing every 5 minutes to stir/shake the pan until toasted.
- Dice the nuts by hand with a kitchen knife, or pulse in a food processor until finely diced.
- Add the roasted & diced nuts, sugar, water, and salt to a small pot over medium heat.
- Bring to a simmer and simmer gently for 5-7 minutes, stirring continuously so the syrup does not overflow out of the pot.
- Leave the orgeat to steep for a minimum of 4 hours, up to 12 hours for maximum flavor and aroma.
- Strain the syrup from the nuts and add orange flower water and liquor, if using.
- Place syrup into an air-tight container in the fridge.
- Use immediately, or within 4 weeks.
Notes
** You can freeze orgeat syrup if you’d like. Freeze for up to 2 months.
** Almonds and orange flower water are traditional orgeat ingredients. If you don’t want to purchase orange flower water, substitute 1 tablespoon or orange zest.
** Adding 1-2 tablespoons of liquor, such as vodka or brandy, can help to extend the shelf life of orgeat. Even with adding liquor, orgeat must still be refrigerated.
** We tested this recipe with a 1, 8, and 12 hours steep- it truly does make a difference to let this syrup steep overnight!
** Substitute any nuts you please! Orgeat is traditionally made with almonds.
Keywords: hazelnuts, orgeat syrup