← Nouns Cooking · Greek

Ingredients

• 250 g blanched almonds
• 1 l warm water, divided
• 600 g Sugar
• 1 Cinnamon stick (optional)
• 1 ice cubes and cold water, to serve

Method

1. Put the almonds in a bowl with 500 ml of the warm water and leave to soak for 4 hours, or overnight.
2. Blend the almonds with their soaking water on high speed until you have a fine, milky purée.
3. Pour into a sieve lined with damp muslin set over a bowl and squeeze hard to extract the almond milk. Stir the pulp with 250 ml more warm water and squeeze again, then repeat with the last 250 ml.
4. Pour the almond milk into a heavy saucepan with the sugar and cinnamon stick. Simmer gently, stirring now and then, for 45–60 min, until it thickens to a syrup (about 105°C, 220°F).
5. Strain into a clean, dry bottle and leave to cool, then seal and keep in the fridge.
6. To serve, stir 2–3 tbsp of syrup into a tall glass of ice and about 150 ml cold water.

Tips

• Contains nuts (almonds). Island cooks add one or two bitter almonds for a marzipan note; never use more than a couple, as raw bitter almonds are toxic in quantity.
• Dry the leftover almond pulp in a low oven and sprinkle it over yogurt or ice cream.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Aglaia's Table iCookGreek