Small Hand Foods Orgeat Syrup

Small Hand Foods Orgeat Syrup is an 8.5 oz bottle of the original Mai Tai syrup — California almonds (plus a small proportion of apricot kernels for distinct marzipan character without extract), orange blossom water, lemon, cane sugar, and a touch of biodynamic California brandy, made by San Francisco's Small Hand Foods, the company bartender Jennifer Colliau founded in 2008 after developing this very orgeat at the Slanted Door for traditional Mai Tais, available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

• Size: 8.5 oz bottle
• Ingredients: water, organic cane sugar, unsweetened almond milk, organic lemon juice, apricot kernel milk, orange blossom water, 80-proof brandy; contains almonds
• Origin: Small Hand Foods, San Francisco — the recipe that started the company in 2008
• Use: the original Mai Tai (Trader Vic's, Oakland, 1944), Japanese Cocktail; also seltzer spritzes and lemonade
• Storage: refrigerate after opening; shake before use (natural sediment/separation is normal)

The One That Started It All

This is the syrup Small Hand Foods exists because of. In 2008, Jennifer Colliau was bartending at San Francisco's Slanted Door and wanted an orgeat worthy of the original 1944 Trader Vic's Mai Tai — so she made one from California almonds with apricot kernels for a true marzipan note, orange blossom water, and a splash of brandy, the way orgeat was built before extracts and flavorings took over. Everything the company has made since — the gum syrups, the grenadine, the tonic — followed this bottle. The profile is rich and floral with delicate marzipan character, and unlike commercial almond syrups it tastes like actual almonds. Use it in the Japanese Cocktail too, or cut it with seltzer for a floral spritzer. Compare with the plain gum syrup for the texture base, and see the whole Small Hand Foods line.

Tasting Notes

Rich and nutty — California almond depth with a distinct marzipan note from the apricot kernels, delicate orange-blossom florals, and a brandy warmth underneath. Natural cloudiness and sediment are expected.

How to Enjoy

The correct pour for a Trader Vic's Mai Tai (rum + orgeat + lime + curaçao). Also the Japanese Cocktail (cognac + orgeat + bitters), or shaken into lemonade or seltzer for a non-alcoholic almond cooler.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is orgeat?
An almond syrup with orange blossom water — a cornerstone of tiki, most famously the Mai Tai.

Is this the traditional Mai Tai orgeat?
Yes — this recipe was developed specifically for the original 1944 Trader Vic's Mai Tai.

Why is there sediment?
All-natural ingredients settle; shake before use to recombine — it's normal.

Does it contain alcohol?
It contains a small amount of 80-proof biodynamic California brandy as part of the recipe.

The Mai Tai's missing piece — order Small Hand Foods Orgeat Syrup online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.