Orgeat (OAR-zhott) is a much under-appreciated cocktail flavoring. Once an essential ingredient in tiki drinks, it seems to have fallen out of fashion. Orgeat is the defining ingredient in the Mai Tai and is also used in several other classic drinks. Although commercial versions of orgeat are readily available, making your own is fairly straightforward and yields a far more fresh and flavorful result. Orgeat would be a great gift for your cocktail-enthusiast friends. Make a big batch and pour it into attractive bottles with a recipe for a Mai Tai tied around the neck of each bottle. - printed from Shake, Stir, Pour by Katie Loeb with permission from Quarry Books