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Syrup of Orgeat

Blanch a pound of sweet and two ounces of bitter almonds; rub them in a mortar to a smooth paste, adding now and then half a table-spoonful of cold water to prevent them from oiling. Mix the paste gradually with three pints of cold water; strain it through a cotton bag, squeezing the bag well to get out all the goodness of the almonds. Mix with this emulsion a quarter of a pint of orange-flower water. Now make a gallon of clarified syrup, pass it through a jelly-bag, set it on the fire, and boil it up. When approaching to a proper consistency, stir in the emulsion gradually so as to check the boiling a little. Let it now continue to boil until it is done enough. Put it to cool. Bottle the syrup while still warm, agitating it before you pour it into the bottles. Let it stand till quite cold before you cork it. To make it keep better, pour a little drop of olive oil on the top of each bottle, which must be quite full, allowing not more than half an inch of space between the cork and the liquid. When a bottle is opened, the oil is to be removed with a bit of cotton. For another way, see ORGEAT SYRUP.