Army & Navy

Homemade is better and takes an afternoon. Blanched almonds blitzed with sugar and water, strained through cloth, finished with a little orange flower water and a splash of vodka to keep it. Bought bottles vary wildly, and anything listing almond flavoring rather than almonds tastes like marzipan.

Real almond orgeat is an emulsion and turns in two or three weeks in the fridge, faster with no alcohol in it. It thins out and smells sour when it goes. Commercial bottles with preservatives last months, and the label will usually say which kind you have.

Normal, and mostly the orgeat, which is an emulsion and will not stay suspended for long. A hard shake and a fine strainer hold it together for the ten minutes that matter. If it has separated in the bottle, shake that before you pour.

In an emergency, but you land somewhere else. Amaretto is bitter almond and alcohol where orgeat is sweet almond and sugar. Use about 10 ml of amaretto plus 8 ml of simple syrup, and expect something heavier and more liqueur-forward than what's described here.

A classic Army & Navy calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Gin, 22 ml (0.75 oz) Fresh lemon juice, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Orgeat syrup. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Army & Navy is roughly 25% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

An Army & Navy is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.