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Stopping in for a quick Saturday cocktail to share this (extra) Dirty Horchata. Homemade Horchata, a sweet cinnamon drink popular throughout Latin America, is topped off with coffee and a splash of dark rum (or Kahlúa). It’s a touch of creaminess, hinted with cinnamon and coffee, and perfectly sweet. Finish this cocktail off with a dusting of warming cinnamon. It’s both refreshing and cozy, ideal for these colder spring nights.
Hey everyone! Just stopping in for a very quick, and of course delicious, Saturday drink post. I know many of you are cooking and baking during this quarantine period, but I also wanted to share a fun drink you can sip on too!
Jumping right into the details and keeping today’s post short and sweet.
The background.
Horchata is a sweet cinnamon drink popular throughout Latin America. It’s traditionally made by soaking white rice in water, then straining out the rice and sweetening the mix with sugar and cinnamon.
It may sound odd, but if you’ve ever had a true Horchata, you know just how good it can be. It’s creamy, sweet, and always perfectly hinted with cinnamon.
I took this idea of creamy Horchata and added on to it a bit. Which brings me to my (extra) dirty Horchata. My recipe is finished off with a shot of coffee plus a shot of dark rum. Yes. A little coffee, a little rum…the perfect combination.
Here’s how you make this dirty Horchata.
First up, start off by soaking the rice. You can either soak the rice in steaming hot water for a couple of hours, or soak it overnight. For the overnight method, simply soak the rice in room temperature water overnight. Me being me, I usually forget to do the overnight soak, so soaking for a couple of hours works best for me.
Once the rice has been soaked, simply pour the rice and water into a blender and blend until extra smooth and creamy. Now add a touch of vanilla, plenty of cinnamon, and pinch of salt…and now you have Horchata! This can be kept chilled in the fridge for up to one week.
Let’s put together our extra dirty horchata cocktail.
Pour the Horchata over ice. Top off with chilled coffee, then add a splash of dark rum (I like using Kahlúa).
Dust with cinnamon. Oh. So. Good.
You really can’t go wrong with a combo like that. My recommendation? Rim each glass in cinnamon sugar, then top each drink off with a cute little cinnamon stick. It’s a bit over the top, but as I’ve been saying, these are strange times we’re living in…anything goes when stuck at home. You know?
Go with me on this. If you’re looking for a fun drink to make this weekend, this is it!
Lastly, if you make this dirty horchata, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Dirty Horchata
Servings: 6 drinks
Calories Per Serving: 530 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 1/3 cup honey or real maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon plus more for serving
- 4 cups canned coconut milk or whole milk
- 1 cup cold coffee or espresso
- 2-8 ounces dark rum or Kahlúa (optional)
- cinnamon sugar, for rimming (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Combine the rice and 2 1/2 cups steaming hot water in a large bowl. Soak at room temperature for 2 hours, the rice will not be completely soft, this is OK. Alternately, you can use room temp water and soak for 8 hours or overnight. (see notes for additional methods).2. Pour the rice and water into a blender. Blend until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the honey or maple syrup, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Blend until combined. Pour the mixture into a large pitcher or jar. Add the milk and stir to combine. Chill until ready to serve. Stir well before serving.3. To serve, rim each glass with cinnamon sugar, if desired. Fill glasses with ice. Add the horchata, then pour over the coffee, using an amount to your liking. Add the Kahlua, if using, and stir to combine. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy!
Notes
Storing: the Horchata base will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Straining: If a smoother consistency is desired, you can strain the horchata through a cheesecloth lined sieve, then chill. I personally do not find the need to do this.
Quick Cook: Bring 2 1/2 cups water a boil, add the rice, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 25 minutes. Cool, then finish as directed.
Rice Not Getting Soft: the water should be boiling and it needs to sit at least 2 hours to become soft.
I know this is an old post so I don’t know if I’ll get a response. Hoping to get one though as I am planning to make this for an upcoming Galentine’s. Can I use simple syrup in place of the honey or maple syrup? Thank you in advance. 🙂
Hi Keselyn,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xT
I put on my chef hat and unicorn onesie to make this. I dont think I followed the instructions correctly and I ended up with cold rice water.
Oh no I’m so sorry about that! Is there anything you did differently?
Tips from lessons learned,
– Do not for any reason, heat this up.
– Do not use full fat coconut milk. At room temperature it will create a chunky top layer. At refrigerator temperature it creates a complete block in your container.
– You can make the delicious horchata without coffee or liquor and then each drinker can add find their time-of-day “sweet spot”. For example: Horchata with coffee with breakfast – Lovely. Horchata with rum after dinner – Very Nice. Horchata with coffee & rum for brunch – Perfect. Simple homemade Horchata for your Mormon friends or small children – Winning!
Hi Kelsey,
Amazing!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing your tips! So glad to hear this was enjoyed! xT
Everyone at the party loved this festive drink! and the leftover horchata is excellent in coffee!
Hey Janet,
Wonderful!!🎅 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and your comment! xT
Hi! This is an old recipe so not sure if I’ll get a response, but I have a question! I tried to make the horchata mix tonight to sit in the fridge overnight for tomorrow. When I blended the rice and water (I chose to do the quick cook method) the rice was so sticky, there was no water left over. I ended up having to add quite a bit of water to it so my blender could actually blend and it is still pretty thick. Is that normal? I’m just used to horchata being more on the watery side. I wasn’t sure if it would become more watery after I add the rest of the liquids. Thanks for your help! I’ve tried a couple of your other recipes and loved them, so I’m excited to try this one!
Hi Erin! It sounds like the rice just got too cooked. I would use 3 cups and let it sit a little less time. Hoping this helps!!
Like a perfectly crafted high end coffee house drink…but with alcohol! Loved it!
Thank you!
Hey Karen,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Happy Friday! xTieghan
This drink caught my eye a while back and I finally found time to make it! It smells like Christmas – those gourmet Christmas candles – and tastes amazing! I only used 1 can (400ml) of Coconut Milk and that worked for me. 😀
Hey there,
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a go! I am thrilled it was enjoyed. xTieghan
Oh my!! Can’t wait to try this! Summer of 2019 we were in Spain for a family trip and drank lots of these (not dirty) while in Valencia! Best drink on a hot day – especially with a side of pastries!
Thanks so much Brooks! xTieghan
Can you replace the honey with regular white sugar?
Hey Bridget,
I think I would suggest maple syrup over the white sugar:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Do you rinse your rice before soaking? I’m in such a habit of rinsing rice I’m cooking until it’s clear…because there are all sorts of things out there on the internet about unrinsed rice, room temp rice, leftover rice, etc.
Hi Danielle,
I didn’t rinse my rice before soaking but you totally can. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hello! Can I use day old rice for this and can I substitute for almond milk? Thanks, this would be such a nice treat mid-day 🙂
Hey Sarah,
You want to use fresh rice for this recipe and you can use another milk that you enjoy in place of the almond milk. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi!!
Rice soaking as we speak. Do you think there is anything that can be done to make it last longer than 5 days? Possibly freezing some? I’m sure I could drink it everyday, but also want it to last longer ?.
So excited to try this, thanks!!
Hi Stephanie,
I haven’t tried this, but you could freeze the liquid after making it! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi there! Could you make using 2% milk?
Hi Amanda! Yes that should work great! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Gave these a whirl the other night for something different. Fab drink for a cooler evening, loved the flavour
Thank you so much Rach! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Your drinks are my husbands favorite!
I made this with a Horchata mix, which may have been cheating but it was easy and so good!
Aw that is so sweet! Also, I won’t tell haha. Thank you Carla! xTieghan