Store-Bought Almond Milk Is The Orgeat Hack For Easy Cocktail Mixing

Making homemade orgeat in your kitchen can take a few hours. For those not in the know, orgeat is a syrup that brings a pleasant almond flavor to cocktails. If you're pressed for time and want to mix up a cocktail that requires the ingredient, there's an easier way. Instead of blending, infusing, and straining almonds to flavor and sweeten, consider reaching for almond milk instead. The simple shortcut will save you a ton of waiting time, and you'll be refilling empty cocktail glasses with significantly less stress. 

Instead of having to blanch and grind almonds to ready orgeat for mixing, pre-made almond milk can come to the rescue. The ready-to-use liquid can be sweetened and flavored as desired. With a splash of orange curaçao and added sweeteners, the absent orgeat may not even be missed, and instead of having to worry about making orgeat, you can focus on garnishing glasses to serve to your guests and keeping the drinks flowing. 

By cooking almond milk, both brown and granulated sugars, almond extract, and either orange curaçao or orange flower water, you can create a makeshift orgeat to mix into your tiki drinks. Use unsweetened almond milk to have better control over the level of sweetness that your created orgeat will offer. 

Bring a subtle floral element to your concoction with rose water or experiment with molasses or honey for a sweeter ingredient to dump into your cocktail shaker. Your mixture will deliver a nutty flavor profile that is comparable to orgeat, and only a practiced palate will be able to pinpoint any difference in texture or mouthfeel. Instead of swapping orgeat for amaretto or another almond product, your creative substitution can yield the taste of the citrusy mai tai drink recipe you had intended, without you needing to apologize to guests for your creative efforts — and without spending hours steeping cups of nuts.