Orgeade

Ingredients

The almonds

• 300 gblanched almonds
• sweet almonds only
• soaked overnight

The syrup

• 700 gsugar
• 500 mlwater
• a pinch of salt

To flavour

• 1 tablespoonorange flower water
• or rosewater
• 1 teaspoonalmond essence, optional

To serve

• cold water or milk
• about one part syrup to four
• plenty of ice

Directions

1. Add it sparingly rather than generously. Too much tastes soapy and perfumed. Add it gradually and taste as you go. Cover the blanched almonds with water. Leave them all to soak overnight. Draining them is straightforward enough.
2. Drain all of the soaked almonds. Discard all of the soaking water. Put the almonds into a blender. Add about half of the water to them. Blend them to a very fine paste. Blend it far longer than seems needed. It should be genuinely very fine.
3. Add the rest of the water to it. Blend all of it again briefly. A thick paste will not strain at all. Let the blended mixture stand. Give it about thirty full minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine cloth. Squeeze it genuinely hard here.
4. Keep squeezing until little more comes. Dry it if you want to keep it. Pour the almond milk into a pan. Add the sugar and a pinch of salt. It stops the sweetness being flat.
5. Warm it gently over a low heat. Stir it until the sugar dissolves. Keep it well below a proper boil. Warm it only enough to dissolve. Judging it takes a careful look. Rub a little between your fingers. It should feel smooth rather than gritty. Keep warming and stirring until it does not. It usually takes a few minutes.
6. Take the pan right off the heat. Let it all cool down completely. The flavourings are added cold. Heat drives off all their aroma. Let it cool right down beforehand. Stir in the orange flower water. Add almond essence if you want it.
7. Add it sparingly rather than freely. Taste the syrup neat and diluted. Mix a little with water to judge it. Adjust the flavouring from that. Pour it into clean dry bottles. Seal all of the bottles tightly. It keeps about two weeks cold. Discard it if it smells at all sour. Discard it if it looks separated and off.
8. Shake the bottle before pouring. Serving it is done diluted over ice. Pour syrup into a glass over ice. Top it up with cold water or milk. About one part syrup to four is a guide. Adjust it to taste from there. Both of them are done in Suriname. Stir it well before you drink it. The syrup sinks to the bottom otherwise.

Technique

• This is almost entirely almond, tree nut allergy can be severe, and a white sweet drink hides its ingredients completely — it looks like any cordial. Say clearly what is in it, which matters more here than in a dish where the nuts are visible.
• Traditional orgeat sometimes used bitter almonds, which contain amygdalin and release cyanide when broken down — a genuine documented hazard. This recipe uses sweet almonds only, which contain traces and are entirely safe as normally eaten; bitter almonds are restricted from sale for eating in many countries and used only in processed extracts, where the compound is removed. Commercial almond essence is safe and is what most syrups use.
• Keep the syrup well below a boil while dissolving the sugar, since boiling almond milk can split it and cooks out the fresh flavour. Add the orange flower water only once it is completely cold, since heat drives off the aroma.

Substitutions

• Rosewater stands in for orange flower water; both are potent, so add sparingly and taste, since too much tastes soapy.
• A little almond essence strengthens the flavour, since real almond milk is quite mild and most commercial syrups rely on it.

Variations

• Squeeze the strained pulp genuinely hard, since it holds a great deal of the milk that is the whole syrup; the leftover pulp is kept for baking rather than discarded.
• Dilute about one part syrup to four of cold water or milk over ice — milk gives a richer drink and water a lighter one, and both are done in Suriname.
• Refrigerate the bottled syrup rather than leaving it out, since almond milk is still a dairy-like liquid; it keeps about two weeks cold.

History

A Surinamese party and birthday drink, bottled as bright syrup and diluted at the table.

Frequently asked questions

What is Orgeade?

Orgeade is a drink from Suriname: sweet almond syrup mixed with water or milk and poured over ice. A Surinamese party and birthday drink, bottled as bright syrup and diluted at the table.

How long does Orgeade take to make?

Orgeade takes 30 minutes plus soaking of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 1 litre of syrup. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Orgeade?

Yes, within limits. Rosewater stands in for orange flower water; both are potent, so add sparingly and taste, since too much tastes soapy. A little almond essence strengthens the flavour, since real almond milk is quite mild and most commercial syrups rely on it.

What is the most important thing to get right in Orgeade?

Add it sparingly rather than generously. Too much tastes soapy and perfumed. Add it gradually and taste as you go. Cover the blanched almonds with water. Leave them all to soak overnight. Draining them is straightforward enough.