Orgeat Syrup Guide: The Almond Backbone of the Mai Tai (And 5 Other Classics)
What Is Orgeat, Actually?
The word "orgeat" (pronounced or-ZHAH, from the French) derives from the Latin hordeum — barley. The original medieval drink was a medicinal emulsion of barley, sweet almonds, and orange flower water, used as a cooling drink for the ill and as a base for pharmacy preparations across France, Spain, and North Africa. By the 18th century, as barley was largely replaced by almonds, the product had evolved into a sweetened almond syrup flavoured with orange flower water that appeared regularly in both culinary and beverage contexts.
Orgeat arrived in the cocktail lexicon in the 19th century. Jerry Thomas — often called the father of American bartending — included the Japanese Cocktail in his 1862 Bartenders Guide, making it the first published cocktail recipe to feature orgeat as a named ingredient. That recipe appears below. The drink survived in various classic formats through Prohibition and into the post-war tiki era, where it found its most enduring modern context.
In 1944, Victor Bergeron — Trader Vic — built a rum drink for some Tahitian friends at his Oakland restaurant. They tasted it and reportedly said "Mai Tai — Roa Ae," Tahitian for "Out of this world." The Mai Tai's defining characteristic, the quality that separates a proper version from the hundreds of bastardised interpretations that followed, is orgeat: the sweet, almond-orange flower syrup that gives the drink its depth and textural weight.
Why Orgeat Quality Matters More Than in Most Syrups
Many cocktail syrups can be approximated with a cheaper product and the difference is marginal. Orgeat is not one of those ingredients. The distinction between a properly made orgeat — one that starts with whole almonds, cold-macerates them, and includes genuine orange flower water — and the cheaper commercial product made with almond flavouring and artificial orange extract is immediately apparent in the glass.
Giffard Orgeat Syrup is made using traditional cold maceration of real sweet almonds in Giffard's distillery in Avrillé. The method preserves the natural oils and marzipan-adjacent flavour compounds that define the ingredient. The orange flower water component is genuine, not synthetic. When you use it in a Mai Tai, you understand immediately why Trader Vic built his signature drink around it.
The Giffard Coconut syrup 1L, it is part of the full Giffard syrup range available through 3Two1 Drinks, Australia's exclusive Giffard distributor.
Seven Orgeat Cocktail Recipes
Trader Vic's Mai Tai (1944 Original)
The authentic version is a study in restraint. Two ounces of aged rum, lime, orange curaçao, orgeat, and a small amount of rock candy syrup. No fruit juices, no grenadine, no pineapple. The fruit is the lime, squeezed and then used as garnish.
Ingredients
- 60ml aged Jamaican rum (17-year J. Wray & Nephew is the historical spec; Appleton Estate 12-Year or Worthy Park Rum-Bar Gold are excellent accessible substitutes)
- 15ml fresh lime juice
- 15ml orange curaçao (Grand Marnier or Cointreau)
- 15ml Giffard Orgeat Syrup
- 7.5ml rock candy syrup (or 1:1 simple syrup)
Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake briefly — eight shakes only, Trader Vic's instruction was not to over-dilute. Pour unstrained (ice and all) into a double Old Fashioned glass. Top with crushed ice if needed.
Glass: Double Old Fashioned
Garnish: Spent lime shell (the squeezed half) and a mint bouquet, pushed into the ice
Japanese Cocktail (Jerry Thomas, 1862)
The oldest published orgeat cocktail. Simple, spirit-forward, and surprisingly contemporary in its structure.
Ingredients
- 60ml cognac (or aged brandy)
- 15ml Giffard Orgeat Syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Method: Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 30 rotations. Strain into a chilled coupe.
Glass: Coupe
Garnish: Lemon peel, expressed and draped
Trinidad Sour
One of the great modern classics, created by Giuseppe González at Clover Club in Brooklyn. The Angostura Bitters is the base spirit — present in extraordinary volume — and the orgeat tempers and balances it. The result is unlike anything else.
Ingredients
- 30ml Angostura Bitters (yes, as the base spirit)
- 30ml Giffard Orgeat Syrup
- 22ml fresh lemon juice
- 22ml rye whiskey
Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake hard for 12 seconds. Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
Glass: Coupe
Garnish: None required — the deep amber colour is the visual
Saratoga Brace Up (19th-Century Variation)
A historical mixed drink from the Saratoga Springs hotel culture of the 1870s and 1880s — bitters, citrus, orgeat, and a spirit base that varied by house preference.
Ingredients
- 45ml cognac or aged bourbon
- 15ml Giffard Orgeat Syrup
- 15ml fresh lemon juice
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 dash absinthe or anisette (rinse the glass)
Method: Rinse a chilled coupe with absinthe and discard the excess. Combine cognac, orgeat, lemon juice, and bitters in a shaker with ice. Shake for 12 seconds. Double-strain into the rinsed coupe.
Glass: Absinthe-rinsed coupe
Garnish: Lemon twist
Fog Cutter
An early tiki creation, typically attributed to Trader Vic. The Fog Cutter is unusual in calling for three base spirits — rum, gin, and brandy — with orgeat providing the sweetness that ties them together.
Ingredients
- 45ml aged rum
- 30ml fresh orange juice
- 30ml fresh lemon juice
- 15ml gin
- 15ml Spanish brandy or cognac
- 30ml Giffard Orgeat Syrup
- 15ml fino sherry (float)
Method: Combine all ingredients except the sherry in a shaker with ice. Shake hard. Pour unstrained into a large tiki mug. Float the fino sherry gently over the back of a spoon.
Glass: Tiki mug
Garnish: Mint bouquet, orange slice, cherry
Scorpion Bowl
A communal tiki punch designed for two to four guests. The version below scales to a single serve.
Ingredients (single serve)
- 45ml aged rum
- 30ml cognac or brandy
- 30ml fresh orange juice
- 30ml fresh lemon juice
- 30ml Giffard Orgeat Syrup
Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Pour over crushed ice into a bowl or tiki vessel. For group service, multiply quantities and serve communally with long straws.
Glass: Scorpion bowl, punch bowl, or large tiki vessel
Garnish: Float of 151 rum (lit, with caution) for theatrical service; otherwise a citrus garden and mint
Mezcal-Orgeat Sour
A modern build that bridges classic cocktail structure and tiki sensibility. The smokiness of mezcal and the sweet almond of orgeat is an unexpectedly coherent pairing.
Ingredients
- 45ml mezcal (joven or espadin)
- 22ml fresh lime juice
- 20ml Giffard Orgeat Syrup
- 1 egg white
Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Dry shake without ice for 10 seconds. Add ice. Shake again for 12 seconds. Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
Glass: Coupe
Garnish: Three drops of mole bitters or Angostura on the foam; expressed orange peel
Stocking Orgeat at Your Venue
Orgeat is not an optional ingredient if you intend to run a tiki programme or offer any of the classic cocktails above in their authentic form. Giffard Orgeat Syrup 1L available from 3Two1 Drinks with Australia-wide shipping. For trade and wholesale pricing, visit our wholesale page or contact the team. Browse the complete Giffard syrup range including falernum, coconut, pineapple, and the full tiki complement.
> Build a proper Mai Tai.
> Traditional cold-macerated almond, genuine orange flower water. No shortcuts. Ships Australia-wide from 3Two1 Drinks.
> Browse the full Giffard syrup range