Post #266424 by KuKuAhu on Mon, Nov 13, 2006 2:16 PM

On 2006-11-13 06:38, Loki wrote:
..but what did you do with all that orgeat syrup? How long do you think it will last and would you use rum as a preservative? i would think it would kill the taste.

Oh, I have the large batches left. But I will be mixing them together, trialing orange flower water, extra almond extract, etc. Some experiments will fail and thus win a trip down the drain. In the end I expect to have a fifth or so of the tannish natural style, and a fifth or 2 of the "commercial style" with rose water, and the same for orange flower water.

As for storage... there really is not reason why this could not be frozen in a plastic jug and thawed later in the refrigerator. Kept frozen I suspect a large batch could be made every six months depending on how heavily one goes through orgeat. These recipes above make about a fifth and a half. So you can extrapolate from there. I'd be comfortable keeping a bottle in the fridge for 3 months provided you watch it for bubbles, mold, odd smells, etc.

As for the rum, I find that if you use a slightly sweet but mild flavored rum (which describes Cruzan light perfectly in my opinion), you can extend the life of a syrup greatly without really obstructing the flavor.

But bear in mind that in the last recipe above I added rum for a little flavor, and not preservative. If you cook the rum in the syrup it will not preserve it at all. Add it after it is bottled. And a little goes a long way. 1/4 cup per fifth will probably work in most cases.

I have seen my own recipe for grenadine sit out at room temp for months and it was fine with just a bit of rum. And you could not taste the alcohol. Anyway, I'd rather have a little extra booze in my syrup than ascorbic acid or sodium benzoate. Not that preservatives are all bad, but... rum is better.

The best bet is to make a batch that suits your use and go through it all before spoilage can occur. I will say that orgeat has been the cheapest of all the syrups or liqueurs I have made, and one of the easiest to produce. Ingredients for around 4 fifths will cost you... oh... less than $15 I think it comes to. I can get true accurate numbers if anyone wants that info.

Ahu