Is Torani Hazelnut syrup a good substitute or orgeat syrup in a Mai Tai

Since I have trouble finding orgeat syrup locally, is Torani Hazelnut syrup a good substitute in a Mai Tai?

I'd say no-- but almond syrup would be pretty close. or:

make a simple syrup or rock candy syrup and add almond extract,

or use amaretto, or creme de noyeaux

also, there are tons of threads here re making homemade orgeat.

[ Edited by: thePorpoise 2011-05-22 12:49 ]

You can order orgeat directly from Torani, so you have no need to make substitutions.
Just go to their website... very easy to use... shipping isn't really all that bad... and the bottles come very quickly.

On 2011-05-23 09:45, CucamongaChango wrote:
You can order orgeat directly from Torani, so you have no need to make substitutions.
Just go to their website... very easy to use... shipping isn't really all that bad... and the bottles come very quickly.

...or you can order from Trader Tiki

http://okolemaluna.com/products-page/syrups/orgeat/

Looks like he has a hazelnut orgeat, too. Might be alright in a mai tai...for awhile.

No. For obvious reasons.

Well yeah, the Trader Tiki will be the finest pre-made stuff... I just opt for the Torani because I go through so much of the stuff that the Trader's is too pricey.

It is actually pretty easy to make a decent orgeat at home. There are a couple different recipies posted around these parts.

On 2011-05-23 16:00, rugbymatt wrote:
It is actually pretty easy to make a decent orgeat at home. There are a couple different recipies posted around these parts.

...and waaaaaaaaay better.

One of these days I'll finally get around to that.
My buddy who makes his own (as well as allspice and falernum) taunts me mercilessly that I haven't tried this yet.

On 2011-05-23 18:08, CucamongaChango wrote:
One of these days I'll finally get around to that.
My buddy who makes his own (as well as allspice and falernum) taunts me mercilessly that I haven't tried this yet.

Well, tell him you'll mow his lawn if he makes you some. :D
Must be a member here, huh?

Actually, no... he's more of an all-round classic cocktail guy... in Philadelphia.
He loves the tiki drinks, but he's more tuned into the new wave with all the gourmet liqueurs and specialty boozes and such.
I like that stuff, too, but... my bar is way more dialed in to the tropical wave.
As in, I have something like 20 different rums, and he has less than half of that.
However, he's got Creme de Violette and Fernet Branca and all that kind of stuff, while my liqueur department is a bit lacking.
St. Elizabeth and Herbsaint, sure... but Campari and Cynar, no.

On 2011-05-22 12:42, old band alum wrote:
is Torani Hazelnut syrup a good substitute in a Mai Tai?

Well, if its all you can get it you can make it work.

Most of the Torani stuff is overly sweet in my opinion. And overall I find the flavors to be a bit dull.

I think if you add a wee bit more lime to offset the sweet of the Torani you should wind up with a decent Mai Tai. And maybe use a a drier triple-sec like Cointreau maybe?

Basically, you tell us. Does the Hazelnut work in your Mai Tai? Does the Torani make it sweeter? Does the hazelnut make a difference with your rums?

Thanks for the mention jingleheimerschmidt, and the compliments CucamongaChango!

I'll be the first to admit my stuff is pricey, but that's because I bring homemade quality to the shelf. I don't use almond flavoring and a sugar syrup base, I heat the almonds, sugar and water together, like I were making it at home, just in an 80 gallon kettle. Almonds are WAAAY more expensive than extract or flavoring, but that's what makes the difference in the end product.

As far as using the Torani Hazelnut, I wouldn't recommend it in a Mai Tai. It'll be interesting, but the flavor can be overpoweringly artificial. My Hazelnut Orgeat would be decent for a variation (also seen it done with Macadamia and Pistachio-based Orgeats), but really shines with simple, rich drinks like a flip or Japanese.

Cheers!

-Blair

On 2011-05-24 12:17, CucamongaChango wrote:
Actually, no... he's more of an all-round classic cocktail guy... in Philadelphia.
He loves the tiki drinks, but he's more tuned into the new wave with all the gourmet liqueurs and specialty boozes and such.
I like that stuff, too, but... my bar is way more dialed in to the tropical wave.
As in, I have something like 20 different rums, and he has less than half of that.
However, he's got Creme de Violette and Fernet Branca and all that kind of stuff, while my liqueur department is a bit lacking.
St. Elizabeth and Herbsaint, sure... but Campari and Cynar, no.

:D Well, that's what happened to me. I stocked my pantry (drained my bank account)to the gills with almost everything to make the vast majority of drinks in the Grog Log et al. Then, I got frustrated making complex drinks just for myself (and all of the Lemon Hart was gone). So, I turned to cocktails from the late 1800's and early 1900's for something different. With both genres, I found that the little details really make a drink shine. Homemade simple syrups with different varieties of sugars, grenadine, gum syrup, homemade tonic, and, of course, orgeat take a drink up a level.

Soooo.....get yourself over to Trader Joes, buy a couple pounds of almonds and a big bag of sugar, and git to work. :drink:

Arrgh, don't remind me... we have no Trader Joes.
Colorado doesn't allow full strength beer and wine to be sold in grocery stores, so Trader Joes has no interest in Colorado.
I'm gonna go cry now.