Name: Hazelnut Orgeat
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 8 h 20 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Syrup
Ingredients: 1 cup roasted hazelnuts; 1 cup sugar; 1 cup water; pinch salt; 1 teaspoon orange flower water; 1 ounce brandy (or vodka)

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Last Updated on January 30, 2024 by Leah Hall

This Hazelnut Orgeat recipe is full of hazelnut flavor, and makes for a great substitute for the classic almond orgeat recipe. Perfect for fall and winter cocktails, along with classic tropical cocktails to have a flavor twist.

Having made our own homemade almond orgeat, we wanted to see if we could make some other orgeat recipes with other nuts. So, we tried this hazelnut orgeat, a pistachio orgeat, chestnut orgeat and more! Follow along to make your own!

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What is Hazelnut Orgeat?

Classic Almond Orgeat is a cocktail syrup made with almonds, sugar and orange flower water. The result is a thicker and stronger flavored syrup. In this case, we subbed hazelnuts for the almonds. It made for a darker colored syrup that tastes like hazelnuts.

You have probably had orgeat syrup before, as it is is a much needed key ingredient for the classic Mai Tai cocktail recipe. And, if not, get to making some! We have plans for this hazelnut orgeat by subbing it for almond orgeat in a tiki classic cocktail like the Mai Tai recipe, Fog Cutter and Army & Navy.

These overall flavors all invoke tons of tiki drinks made with orange curacao, orange juice, white rum, dark rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, aged rum, lemon juice and more. Regular orgeat is used in a lot of tropical cocktails over crushed ice and with a lime wheel in drinks from Trader Vic’s and Jerry Thomas (classic Japanese cocktail).

Ingredients Needed for Hazelnut Orgeat

These simple ingredients make for some great complex flavors, and you simply need to switch out the kind of nut you use and you have a completely different homemade orgeat.

Hazelnuts – we used already roasted hazelnuts. But, you can roast them beforehand if you need to. And we encourage that you do, because it brings out the flavor. Before blending these you can cut them or break them up using a rolling pin if you want. We didn’t.
Sugar – regular granulated sugar works great. The amount of sugar to water is the same as a simple syrup.
Water – doesn’t need to be filtered, just out of the tap is fine.
Salt – this helps cut the sweetness of the syrup, and helps bring out the flavor of the hazelnuts.
Orange Flower Water – in a lot of recipes this seems to be seen as optional. But, we definitely encourage you to use it. It is an orange flower extract, and gives a bit of floral flavor to orgeat, which makes it different than just a regular cocktail syrup. So, we don’t see it as an optional ingredient. But, if you don’t like a floral edge to your syrups, you can skip it.
Vodka or Brandy – this is a preservative addition to the syrup. It is optional, especially if you are going to use the orgeat right away. But, if you want to keep it longer, we encourage you to add the vodka or brandy. We prefer the brandy.

How to make Hazelnut Orgeat

Plan ahead to make this good stuff as it’s a good addition to your home bar repertoire! Just plan some time to let the covered mixture sit at room temperature to steep.

Blend hazelnuts in blender or food processor.
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water (either hot water or cold water works) on medium heat until sugar dissolves and starts to boil.
Add ground hazelnuts and simmer on low heat. Just before it boils, remove from heat and cover. Let it sit for at least 4 hours, but no more than 12. We went with around 8, or overnight.
Strain this mixture through a cheesecloth into a bowl. We also put the cheesecloth in a colander in a bowl as well. Let the sugar syrup sit for a bit, then squeeze the cloth.
Drain all the nutty syrup into the bowl, and pour into a bottle or jar.
Add orange flower water and brandy. Shake or stir to combine.

Tips & Tricks

Steeping – yes. This time is required to give the syrup the ultimate flavor. we really liked it after 8 hours, and 12 is fine too, so overnight works well.
How long does it last? To keep the orgeat syrup fresh longer you can add an ounce of brandy or vodka, to the syrup. This is optional and helps keep it fresh. If you are using it right away, you don’t need it. Just keep it in the fridge either way.
Other Uses – Use as a hazelnut syrup in coffee drinks, drizzle on pancakes or French toast, use it in cocktails other than tropical ones – try it in Sangria or mulled wine, or even Italian sodas! Add orgeat to salad dressings or marinades, or to homemade whipped cram.
Sweetener – in this recipe we used granulated sugar. But, other excellent options could be brown sugar, honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar.
Orange Flower Water – (or orange blossom water) We feel this isn’t an optional ingredient, and you will get a whole bottle for not a huge amount of money. If you don’t want to buy a whole bottle just for this recipe, you can sub 1 tablespoon of fresh orange zest, or choose to leave it out entirely.
Can you freeze Orgeat? Yes. The aroma can be less after freezing, but the flavor stays the same. You can freeze for around 2 months.
Straining – We use cheesecloth, but are looking at getting a nut milk bag for straining. The nut bag will catch more of the fine bits while straining, but a cheesecloth works well, especially with layers of cheesecloth, and rinses out super easily too.

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Cheers!

Like this recipe? Try these below, too!

Almond Orgeat Syrup

Winter Mai Tai

Other Syrup Recipes

2 cups

Hazelnut Orgeat

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes

Make this homemade hazelnut orgeat for a great twist on the classic cocktail mixer, almond orgeat. This hazelnut version is darker and richer and a great classic orgeat substitute.

Ingredients

1 cup roasted hazelnuts
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
pinch salt
1 teaspoon orange flower water
1 ounce brandy (or vodka)

Instructions

Blend hazelnuts in blender or food processor.
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water on medium heat until sugar dissolves and starts to boil.
Add ground hazelnuts and simmer on low heat. Just before it boils, remove from heat and cover. Let it sit for at least 4 hours, but no more than 12. We went with around 8, or overnight.
Strain this mixture through a cheesecloth into a bowl. We also put the cheesecloth in a colander in a bowl as well. Let the sugar syrup sit for a bit, then squeeze the cloth.
Drain all the syrup into the bowl, and pour into a bottle or jar.
Add orange flower water and brandy. Shake or stir to combine.
Cheers!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

.50 ounce
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 13Total Fat: .3gSodium: 605mgCarbohydrates: 1.7gSugar: 1.6gProtein: .1g

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