Kurt R.A. Giambastiani

Cherries are, without question, my favorite fruit, and now, in early summer, they are plentiful. However, as with my last recipe post about pickled asparagus, there just isn’t enough time to consume all the cherries before they go off, so I’ve been playing with various ways to preserve them.

Which led me to having bowls of leftover cherry-stones.

Which, in turn, led me to orgeat.

Orgeat (pronounced OR-zhat) is an almond-infused syrup used in flavored coffees, tiki cocktails, and Italian sodas. Not being a big drinker of any of these, I’d never heard of orgeat before, but I am now a big fan. A glass of ice, a shot of orgeat, and some lightly carbonated San Pellegrino water make the most refreshing post-gardening quaff I’ve ever had the pleasure to imbibe.

What does this have to do with cherries? Well, cherry-stones are an optional (to some, but essential to me) ingredient in making orgeat.

Traditionally, orgeat is made with bitter almonds, but they’re hard to find and way more expensive than makes sense to me. Sweet almonds are commonly used in homemade orgeat, but by including cherry stones, I  add back a touch of bitter to temper the syrup’s sweetness.

This recipe is also eminently modifiable. Try different types of nuts. Try different flower-waters. Try skins on/skins off. This recipe is a guide to whatever is in season, whatever is available, adaptable to your particular tastes. See the Notes section for ideas on variations and uses.

Orgeat

Makes about 1 ¼ cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsalted nuts (traditionally blanched almonds, but see Notes)
• 1/2 cup cherry stones (optional, but see Notes)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon flower water (traditionally orange-flower water, but see Notes)
• 1 oz brandy or vodka (traditionally brandy, but see Notes)

Procedure

• Run the nuts through a food processor to a medium grind (too fine and you get a lot of unfilterable residue)
• In a pot over medium heat, combine sugar and water. Heat until sugar dissolves, and then boil for about three minutes.
• Add the ground nuts to the syrup, lower the heat, and let simmer for another three minutes..
• Take the pot off the heat, cover, and let steep for at least 3 hours, better if it steeps for 8 hours.
• Strain through doubled cheesecloth (you may have to add more layers if you ground the nuts fine).
• Stir in the flower-water and the brandy or vodka.
• Decant into a airtight bottle or jar. Store in the fridge. It’ll keep for about a month.

Notes

• Nuts:
  • Traditionally, the recipe uses blanched bitter almonds, but I use regular (sweet) almonds as they’re easier to find. I also leave the skins on, as this adds a hint of bitterness to what can otherwise be a cloying sweetness.
  • Other nuts you can use are hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans, anything with a distinctive flavor that you like. They can be roasted or raw, but never use anything that’s been salted.
• Cherry stones:
  • The cherry stones add depth to the concoction, but can be omitted if unavailable or if you have a low tolerance for bitterness.
• Flower water:
  • Orange flower water is the traditional ingredient, but rosewater can be used as well.
  • Take care with adding the flower water; add half and do a taste-check, then add more if it’s not enough. It’s very easy to go overboard with the flower water and then you end up with something only your Grandma Edna would enjoy.
• Spirits:
  • Brandy is the standard spirit to add here, but vodka (unflavored) can be used as well. I find brandy much more in line with the almonds/hazelnuts versions, but vodka goes better with pistachios. Your variation; your choice.
• Uses:
  • As mentioned, orgeat is often added to coffees, and is a critical ingredient to Mai Tai, Scorpion, and other “tiki” cocktails.
  • My favorite use is in Italian soda: fill a highball glass with ice, add a shot of orgeat, and pour sparkling water/club soda to fill. Garnish with a lemon slice if you want to get fancy.