What to use instead of orange juice
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Sweet-acid bulk in a mixed drink
It is a bulk ingredient rather than a flavouring, bringing sugar, moderate acid and enough pulp to give the glass weight where a spirit would otherwise carry it.
Fresh-squeezed orange juiceRan out
1:1 by volume
Brighter and more bitter from the peel oils, and it separates in the glass within five minutes. Shake or stir it right before pouring.
Tangerine or clementine juiceRan out
1:1 by volume, plus 1 tsp lemon juice per 4 oz
Much sweeter and lower in acid, which flattens a drink without the lemon. Colour is deeper orange.
Mango nectar cut with lemonRan out
3 oz nectar + 1 oz water + 1 tsp lemon juice per 4 oz orange juice
Thicker in the mouth and it holds a shaken foam far longer. Pushes a tiki drink tropical and buries any delicate botanical.
Pineapple juice with lemonRan out
4 oz pineapple juice + 1/2 tsp lemon juice per 4 oz orange juice
Sharper and more assertive, and it whips into a thick head when shaken hard. Sweeter on the finish than orange.
Peach or apricot nectarRan out
3 oz nectar + 2 tsp lemon juice per 4 oz orange juice
Rounder and heavier with no citrus perfume at all, so a mimosa reads as a bellini. Needs the lemon or it turns syrupy.
What doesn't work: Orange soda or an orange drink powder. Both run far higher in sugar with almost no acid, so the drink lands sweet and flat, and the carbonation dies the second the shaker is shut.
Orange flavour in a drink that also contains cream or milk
It brings acid as well as flavour, and that acid is what curdles dairy, so how and when it goes in decides whether the glass looks right.
Orange extractRan out
1/4 tsp per 2 oz orange juice
All aroma and no acid, so the cream stays smooth indefinitely. It tastes of orange candy rather than fruit and adds no sweetness.
Orange zest steeped in the syrupRan out
Zest of 1 orange per 1 cup simple syrup, steeped 20 min and strained
Deeper and more bitter than juice, with a real peel-oil perfume. No acid at all, so nothing curdles and nothing tastes tart.
Orange blossom waterRan out
1/4 tsp per serving
Floral and soapy above that dose, so measure it. It reads as orange in a cream soda without touching the pH.
What doesn't work: Pouring cold juice straight into milk or cream. The acid drops the pH below 4.6 and the casein curdles into grains within a minute. Build the drink with the juice and soda first and float the cream on top, or reach for zest or extract instead.