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    Home / Drinks

    An Ode to Orgeat: Classic Mai Tai, Japanese Cocktail + Orgeat Chantilly {with an Almond Peach Buckle}d

    Published Sep 3, 2015

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    A celebration of the almond-based mixer orgeat, which features in classic cocktails and makes a delightful addition to whipped cream, too. A collaboration with Jessica and Mitch of Thread and Bones.

    delicious Classic Mai Tai, Japanese Cocktail + Orgeat Chantilly

    The first time I tasted or heard of orgeat was in the pastry department of Farallon, the classic San Francisco seafood restaurant where I worked for a stint under pastry chefs Terri Wu and Emily Luchetti. We had an orgeat granita on the menu and when I inquired about the main ingredient, Terri told me she had scored some from our bar. The precious stuff was made in small batches in Berkeley and was a classic mixer.

    This piqued my interest. "I love mixing drinks," I admitted. "I kinda want to be a bartender."

    Terri replied, "Oh, we used to have a pastry cook here who was a bartender... She wasn't a very good baker."

    bottles of liquor

    After that, I kept my boozy aspirations to myself, instead chatting up the lead bartenders who were always happy to detail their latest creations and nerd out on classic cocktails and obscure spirits. My bartender dream never came to fruition, but I continue to infuse my desserts with spirits whenever possible.

    And I still mix drinks like a baker.

    bottles of liquor

    Farallon stocked the highest quality ingredients, and the orgeat, made by Small Hands in Berkeley (and available for mail order here), was one of them. The small bottles were special ordered, hoarded, and frozen with simple syrup to make an icy granita. We served the granita with a sorbet, but what flavor it was I can't remember. What I do remember is scraping giant pans of granita until the fork threatened to freeze my fingers off. But the bites of cool, almondy bliss that I got to sneak were well worth it.

    shaking cocktail

    Orgeat came up in conversation recently during dinner with two of my favorite people: Mitch and Jessica, who write the lifestyle blog Thread and Bones while running a wedding photography business. We were discussing a new shop that had recently opened in the Mission, The Royal Cuckoo Market, which stocks everything you would ever want to put in a drink, and lots of good things to eat, too. Small Hands Orgeat had caught my eye, and this sparked a conversation about the little-used mixer. After much wine, the evening ended with us pressing our faces against the window of the shop, which had long since closed, and hatching a scheme: An orgy of orgeat.

    pouring cocktail

    lemon in cocktail

    bitters into cocktail

    Orgeat is a classic almond-based spirit made through a fairly laborious process(think: French equivalent of horchata). Small Hand's version is sharpened with brandy and apricot kernels, and kissed with orange blossom water. It tastes like liquid marzipan (Jessica's words): sweet, floral, and intensely almondy. Orgeat adds body and depth to a number of classic cocktails in the way that simple syrup and bitters both would, only with an elusive flavor of its own. When we re-convened at Jessica and Mitch's Mission apartment for our orgeat three-way, Mitch shook up Mai Tais and Japanese Cocktails, Jessica served up delicious vittles, and I baked up a peach buckle to serve with orgeat whipped cream.

    tray of snacks

    Our first sip of mai tais surprised everyone. I'd always thought of the mai tai as a super-sweet tiki drink brimming with tropical fruit juice, but this misinformation was just a product of having my bartender dreams crushed at an impressionable age. A classic mai tai is merely rum, lime juice, cointreau and orgeat, shaken and served garnished with fresh mint. And yet something magical happens between the floral orgeat and citrusy orange and lime, and the result tastes like a piña colada that's been to finishing school: well-balanced and demure, polished, but still a little wild.

    Classic Mai Tai, Japanese Cocktail + Orgeat Chantilly

    If the Mai Tai was slightly frivolous, the Japanese Cocktail was serious business. And no wonder; it was purportedly invented in 1860 by New York barman Jerry Thomas for the Japanese translator Tateishi "Tommy" Onojirou during the first Japanese diplomatic mission to the US. Nothing about the drink is remotely Asian; it features cognac and orgeat sharpened with lime juice and Angostura bitters and served up with a lemon twist. The orgeat smoothes the rough edges of spiritous cognac, adding body weight to the drink. Again, the citrus plus orgeat creates the illusion of tropical fruit, but the cognac keeps the Japanese cocktail more earthy than the rum in the mai tai. The bitters add a complexity that keeps the drink grounded.

    glass of cocktail

    cocktail in glass

    These are pro drinks, people – classic spirits that require nary a muddle. They are well-balanced and smooth, sweet enough to appeal to bakers but serious enough to be enjoyed by real bartenders, too.

    table

    bottles on shelf

    Last but not least, the orgeat chantilly: what could be bad about almond-scented whipped cream? I would eat this stuff by the shovelful. It paired especially well with a slice of almond peach buckle, a variation of a recipe that will be in my book, but I can imagine it on all sorts of confections: a chocolate pot de crème, whiskey kissed coffee, or rolled into a roulade-style cake spread with apricot jam. The possibilities are endless.

    cat on couch

    All images were styled and shot in collaboration with Mitch and Jessica.

    cake

    More Cocktail Recipes:

    • White Nectarine Prosecco Sangria with Ginger and Elderflower
    • Grapefruit, Ginger, and Lemongrass Sake Cocktails

    *Thanks for reading!  For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this Japanese cocktail recipe, I’d love to see. Tag your Instagram snaps  @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

    5 from 1 vote

    The Japanese Cocktail

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    A celebration of the almond-based mixer orgeat, which features in classic cocktails and makes a delightful addition to whipped cream, too
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Total: 5 minutes
    Servings: 1 drink

    Ingredients

    The Japanese Cocktail

    • ice
    • 2 ounces cognac
    • 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
    • 1/2 ounce orgeat (such as Small Hands)
    • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
    • lemon twist, for garnish

    Orgeat Chantilly

    • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, very cold
    • 1-2 tablespoons orgeat, to taste

    Instructions

    The Japanese Cocktail

    • Fill a cocktail shaker partway with ice. Add the cognac, lime juice, and orgeat. Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coup or cocktail glass and top with the bitters and lemon peel. Enjoy immediately.

    Orgeat Chantilly

    • Using a whisk, hand blender, or stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the cream until it just holds soft peaks. Beat in the smaller amount of orgeat, adding more if you like. Continue whipping until the cream holds soft peaks once more. Chill until needed.

    Notes

    This almondy whipped cream is delectable on summer fruit desserts, or try a dollop over a cup of whiskey-kissed coffee. Orgeat varies in sweetness, so add more or less to your taste.
    Nutritional values are based on one drink.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 333kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 5gFat: 88gSaturated Fat: 55gCholesterol: 326mgSodium: 92mgPotassium: 179mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 3500IUVitamin C: 5.7mgCalcium: 155mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

    The Japanese Cocktail

    Makes 1

    ice
    2 ounces cognac
    1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
    1/2 ounce orgeat (such as Small Hands)
    2 dashes Angostura bitters
    lemon twist, for garnish

    Fill a cocktail shaker partway with ice. Add the cognac, lime juice, and orgeat. Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coup or cocktail glass and top with the bitters and lemon peel. Enjoy immediately.

    Orgeat Chantilly

    This almondy whipped cream is delectable on summer fruit desserts, or try a dollop over a cup of whiskey-kissed coffee. Orgeat varies in sweetness, so add more or less to your taste.

    1 cup heavy whipping cream, very cold
    1-2 tablespoons orgeat, to taste

    Using a whisk, hand blender, or stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the cream until it just holds soft peaks. Beat in the smaller amount of orgeat, adding more if you like. Continue whipping until the cream holds soft peaks once more. Chill until needed.

    top down shot of cocktails

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    the cover of the award-winning cookbook, Alternative Baker

    Hungry for more?

    Alternative Baker celebrates the unique tastes and textures of 14 gluten-free flours, from buckwheat flour to almond flour to sorghum and coconut! This cookbook will fill your kitchen with sweet treats that burst with flavor every month of the year.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. kankana says

      September 03, 2015 at 11:03 am

      I am not much into cocktail. Rarely build one at home but I always love the chemistry behind it. Your photos are always so so so stunning!

      Reply
    2. jose antonio miragaya lopez says

      September 03, 2015 at 3:27 pm

      ¡Fantástica receta! Fácil de preparar, con buenas fotografías y un resultado final delicioso. Gracias por conpartirla con todos/as.

      Reply
    3. Jessica says

      September 04, 2015 at 12:47 am

      Yay! So much fun reading through this! Loved all the details of life as a pastry shop and all this background info on orgeat! Way to drop some knowledge girlfriend!

      Also this: "And yet something magical happens between the floral orgeat and citrusy orange and lime, and the result tastes like a piña colada that's been to finishing school: well-balanced and demure, polished, but still a little wild." -- Best line of all time (although orgeat threesome -- pretty great too)

      And how did we not talk about how your cake was actually a BUCKLE? That is officially my all time favorite name for any kind of dish ever.

      Can we do this again/always?
      XO

      Reply
      • Louis says

        March 22, 2017 at 6:38 am

        My girlfriend reffers to orgeat as 'menage a almond'.

        Reply
        • Alanna says

          March 22, 2017 at 8:12 pm

          Ha - love it!

          Reply
    4. Alanna @ One Tough Cookie says

      September 04, 2015 at 6:12 pm

      Stunning photos, as always! I'm so intrigued by orgeat; I'd never heard of it before! Wonder if I can get my hands on some up here in Canadaland. Keep up the gorgeous work!

      Reply
    5. Kate says

      September 16, 2015 at 5:31 am

      Cheers to orgeat! And those recipes! And those photographs! And introducing me to Thread and Bones. :)

      Reply
    6. Becca | Spices and Spatulas says

      September 23, 2015 at 6:10 pm

      Gorgeous photos-- and a VERY cute feline friend! I've actually never had a mai tai..I think it's time that changed! xo

      Reply
    7. Lavonne says

      November 04, 2020 at 4:57 am

      I just like the helpful info you supply in your articles.

      I will bookmark your blog and test again right here regularly.
      I am relatively certain I will be told a lot of new stuff proper here!
      Good luck for the next!

      Reply

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