Orgeat Cordial Syrup

Orgeat is an almond-based cocktail syrup, and this one is a cordial-style sweetener sold with the mixers rather than the spirits. Styles like this usually taste of sweet almond with a marzipan-like roundness. Many versions add a light floral lift from orange flower or rose water, though this bottle's exact recipe and flavoring aren't specified here, so check the label for ingredients. Expect a thick, pourable, opaque-to-pale syrup that is sweet on the palate, closer to a sugar syrup than a bitter or herbal modifier. It adds body and a soft nutty finish more than sharp acidity. Orgeat is a modifier, so it goes into a drink in small measures. It is best known from the Mai Tai, where roughly a quarter to half an ounce rounds out rum and lime juice with almond richness. It also anchors the Scorpion and other tiki-style drinks that blend rum, citrus and nut syrup. Outside tiki, it works in a Japanese Cocktail, a historic brandy-and-orgeat drink, and as a swap for simple syrup in a whiskey sour or a gin sour when you want a nuttier, silkier texture. Because it is sweet, cut back other sugar in the recipe and let lemon or lime juice balance it. It is also useful without any spirits. Stir a spoonful into iced coffee or a cappuccino for an almond latte flavor, or build a long drink by pouring about an ounce over ice and topping with soda water or sparkling water. A squeeze of lemon helps keep that drink from tasting flat. A small amount also works over vanilla ice cream or in a milk-based drink. For handling, shake drinks that contain orgeat with ice so the syrup integrates and the drink gets a light froth. Serve them in a rocks glass over crushed or cubed ice, or in a coupe if there is no dilution from ice. Keep the bottle sealed and refrigerate it after opening, since almond syrups can separate. Give it a good shake before pouring, and follow the storage guidance on the label.