French vs. Middle Eastern orange flower water?

[mbanu]

The only orange flower water available around here is the Middle Eastern sort that you find at ethnic grocery stores.

For those of you who have tried the French stuff, are the Middle Eastern brands of the same quality and flavor?

[slkinsey]

No. They are completely different. My memory of the Middle Eastern varieties is not good because after I determined that the French was much better for my purposes, I never went back. But my recollection is that the French kind is much stronger than the Middle Eastern kind -- to the extent that one might need to use a quarter ounce of the latter where a few drops of the former would suffice.

[donbert]

Sam, do you know a source for french orange flower water in NYC?

[slkinsey]

Kalustyan's, surely. Have also seen it in Fairway and Citarella.

[donbert]

I was looking for it at Kalustyan's a couple weeks ago but they must have been out. Ended up getting the Lebanese one. Just called the new Fairway in Red Hook and they claim to have it in their specialty dept. I tried to explain that I was specifically looking for the French one by A. Monteux in a blue bottle but I'm not sure if they actually bothered to check the shelf to see which kind they had. I'll have to swing through there on my next weekly pilgrimage to LeNell's.

Thanks Sam.

Edited July 13, 2006 by donbert (log)

[Pan]

Never overlook the obvious: Sahadi's. If anyplace has it, they probably would. No guarantees, of course; you should probably call before setting out for the store.

[johnder]

Don,

I am heading to fairway tomorrow after work, I can check it out for you and report back.

john

I was looking for it at Kalustyan's a couple weeks ago but they must have been out. Ended up getting the Lebanese one. Just called the new Fairway in Red Hook and they claim to have it in their specialty dept. I tried to explain that I was specifically looking for the French one by A. Monteux in a blue bottle but I'm not sure if they actually bothered to check the shelf to see which kind they had. I'll have to swing through there on my next weekly pilgrimage to LeNell's.

Thanks Sam.

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[johnder]

Sorry for the delay in the scouting report. Fairway Red Hook does indeed have the A. Monteux Rose Flower Water and the Orange Flower Water. 3oz bottle is 2.49.

It is in the spice / specialty section which is the first section you past by after leaving the meat/seafood counters.

John.

[donbert]

Sorry for the delay in the scouting report.  Fairway Red Hook does indeed have the A. Monteux Rose Flower Water and the Orange Flower Water.  3oz bottle is 2.49.

It is in the spice / specialty section which is the first section you past by after leaving the meat/seafood counters.

John.

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Thanks John. I had a friend snag one for me this weekend and it is indeed much better than the Cortas or Mymoune brands. I wouldn't say that it is that much stronger flavor but it is by far the cleanest. The middle eastern ones both have a astringent/chemical note compared to the Monteux. Also a standard 1 oz dropper cap fits perfectly on the Monteux bottle for easy dispensing.

[jsmeeker]

I assume Orange Blossom Water is the same thing? I picked up a bottle of Cortas Orange Blossom Water today because I wanted to make a Ramos Gin Fizz. Reading through this topic, it seems that the French stuff is preferred over the stuff from the middle east (Cortas is from Lebanon)

Off to find the topic on the Ramos Gin Fizz

[TBoner]

Jeff, the Middle Eastern brands are readily available all over town, of course, but the only place I've found the A. Monteux is at Central Market, usually near the Beer and Wine, but at one (Plano? Southlake?) it's with the sugar syrups in the spice aisle. Don't know if you're interested in picking it up, but I thought I'd mention it.

[jsmeeker]

Jeff, the Middle Eastern brands are readily available all over town, of course, but the only place I've found the A. Monteux is at Central Market, usually near the Beer and Wine, but at one (Plano? Southlake?) it's with the sugar syrups in the spice aisle. Don't know if you're interested in picking it up, but I thought I'd mention it.

←

I picked up the Cortas at the Plano CM. It was on the shelf, near the beer and wine, with the club soda, tonic water, cotcktail mixes, etc. Only brand of ornage flower water they had up there. I think there were some other brands of rose flower water there. It was only a few bucks for the bottle, so no major loss if I replace it. I'll keep looking each time I go back, now that I know the difference.

[Kent Wang]

Has anyone tried Steenberg's or Nielsen Massey? I found the below review about Nielsen Massey on Ocado. It's geared toward cosmetic use, but still sounds relevant.

Orange blossom water is, as the name suggests, orange blossom extract in water. The Steenberg's brand contains orange blossom extracts and water, so it's a gorgeous, floral scent, unadulterated. This smells like paint stripper. It's made from orange oil - not orange blossoms. And it's not water, it's a hellish mixture of propylene glycol and ethanol. Orange blossom water is a gentle substance - this is flammable and the label recommends that you don't let it come into contact with your skin. It's a cheap orange food flavouring with posh labelling. Horrible.

Most importantly, how do they compare to Monteux, which is what most bars in America use.

[EvergreenDan]

Caution: Avoid contact with eyes, mouth and skin. Only for food use.

Edited February 13, 2014 by EvergreenDan (log)

[OliverB]

amazon carries a couple, in case you can't find it locally