How to make it
5 steps. Take it one step at a time.
Place the sweet and bitter almonds
Place the sweet and bitter almonds in a blender or food processor with 500ml (2 1/8 cups) of the water. Pulse until the almonds are finely ground and the mixture looks like a thick, milky paste.
Pour the almond paste
Pour the almond paste into a large bowl and add the remaining 1 liter (4 1/4 cups) of water. Let it soak for about 15 minutes to extract the flavor.
15 minStrain the mixture through a very fine cheesecloth or a nut milk bag
Strain the mixture through a very fine cheesecloth or a nut milk bag into a heavy-bottomed pot. Squeeze the cloth very hard to extract every bit of the almond milk. Discard the almond pulp (or save it for baking).
Add the sugar to the pot
Add the sugar to the pot with the almond milk. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 20-25 minutes at 100°C (212°F) until the mixture thickens into a syrup. Skim any foam that rises to the surface.
25 minRemove from heat
Remove from heat and stir in the rosewater. Allow the syrup to cool completely before transferring to sterilized glass bottles.
A little kitchen wisdom
Always use a mix of sweet and bitter almonds for the authentic depth of flavor. If bitter almonds are unavailable, a high-quality almond extract can be used. Serve diluted with 1 part syrup to 4 parts chilled water or soda water.
