Pistachio-Apricot Orgeat

Hi Folks,

We’ve got more tasting events to share with you, and a recipe for our take on the Army & Navy cocktail with our very own pistachio-apricot orgeat. Read on, come taste some gin, and be sure to give our new favorite cocktail a try!

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Luke’s Local (San Francisco), August 2

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Pistachio Apricot Army & Navy 

This might be our new favorite cocktail. The Army & Navy relies on the nutty-sweet goodness of orgeat (an almond syrup) to add depth and complexity to an otherwise simple gin sour. Nothing wrong with that. But we’ve increased that depth of flavor and rounded out the powerful pucker of this classic by swapping out the traditional almond-based orgeat for a pistachio-apricot orgeat that will knock your summer socks off. While the drink’s sour heart remains, it is slightly softened by the toasty pistachios and the fruity, sweet-tart notes of dried apricot. Better still, the slippery texture of the syrup (thanks, in part, to the naturally-occurring pectin in the apricots) makes this rather stiff drink go down smooth as summer silk. Just what we want at the end of a long, hot day.

Try one and let us know what you think!

Ingredients for Pistachio Apricot Orgeat 

Yields enough for about 8 cocktails

1 c raw, shelled, unsalted pistachios

1 ¼ c water

⅓ c (about 73 g) dried apricots (we used sulfured apricots, but unsulfured work well too)

½ c water

1 c sugar

Ingredients for Cocktail

Serves 1

2 oz Common Ground Spirits Gin Recipe 02 (black currant and thyme)

¾ oz lemon juice

1 oz pistachio almond orgeat

1 dash Angostura Bitters

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, then toast pistachios for 10 minutes, tossing halfway through. Allow nuts to cool completely.
2. While the pistachios are cooling, roughly chop the apricots, place them in a small lidded container, and cover with ½ c boiling water. Refrigerate overnight.
3. Place cooled pistachio in a blender and pulse until finely chopped but not powdery.
4. In a large lidded container, add the chopped pistachios and 1 ¼ c of water. Shake well and refrigerate overnight.
5. Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth (a clean kitchen towel will work too, but will drain more slowly), then begin pouring the pistachio milk through the strainer in batches, allowing the liquid to pass through the strainer before topping it up again. Discard the chopped nuts or see our note below on how to use them for a healthy snack!
6. Once you’ve poured all the liquid through the strainer, gather up the ends of the cheesecloth, twisting and squeezing as much of the liquid as you can out of the chopped nuts. 
7. Pour the pistachio nut milk into a medium saucepan, add the soaked apricots and any remaining liquid to the pan along with 1 c sugar. 
8. Heat the pan on medium until warm, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
9. Pour the mixture into a blender and puree. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a lidded jar and refrigerate until ready to use. (See note below for saving your apricot solids.) You should have about 1 ¼ c of syrup.

*NOTE: You can save both the discarded chopped nuts and the pureed apricot for your breakfast yogurt bowl by simply refrigerating them. Or, you can dry the mixture in the oven at 180°F for about 2 hours and add them to your favorite granola. The crunchy topping also works well in chicken salad. Yes, we tried it, it’s delicious.

Make the Pistachio Apricot Army & Navy Cocktail

1. Chill a coupe or a Nick and Nora glass with ice water.
2. In a tall shaker, combine the gin, lemon juice, orgeat, and bitters. Shake well until very cold.
3. Empty the water from the cocktail glass, strain the cocktail into the glass, and serve immediately.