This alt-orgeat was created for The Eddy, now closed, where it filled out a tiki-style drink made with a split base of Cachaça and aged rum, plus a dose of cold brew coffee. Those are some pretty robust flavors, and needed an equally assertive sweetener. Roasting the walnuts created a bolder, darker profile that fit the bill.
Walnut Orgeat
Luis Hernandez, Lost Hours | New York
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 piece cassia bark
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 ounce cane syrup (1:1, cane sugar:water)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and roast for about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Toast spices in a heavy-bottomed pan over low heat, until lightly smoky.
- Add water and sugar and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat.
- While still hot, add orange zest and cane syrup.
- When cool, strain mixture into blender. Add walnuts and blend on high. Strain into a bottle and cover. Store in refrigerator; keeps for about two weeks.