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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.
Looks delish !!!
Can you use basmati rice?
Hi Toni,
Yes you can use basmati rice!
HI! I love all your recipes and this one is probably delicious. Just wanted to let you know that Horchata is actually from Spain, particularly from a region called Valencia 🙂 and traditionally made with tiger nuts. Maybe you can make a recipe with the original ingredients some day:)
However, can´t wait to make this recipe!
Oh thank you so much Paula! I hope you love this recipe! Please let me know if you try it! xTieghan
Just wondering if the coconut milk is supposed to be part of the recipe? It’s in the ingredients list but can’t figure out why…
Thanks so much, loved your recipes for years, just made your kumara (what we call sweet potato in New Zealand) gnocchi a couple days ago and they were amazing.
Hi Sarah,
Yes canned coconut milk or your favorite milk is going to be added to the drink in step 2. Hope this helps!
Will almond milk work?
Hi Suzanne,
Ye almond milk will work! Hope you love the recipe!
Absolutely!
Yum, I love Kahula?
I am going to try this but without the rice water !
Have you ever tried Kahula and Club Soda ?
It’s my go to drink , so good and refreshing and even after a few ir more ? You don’t get drunk !
Stay safe and healthy ❣?
Debi?
I have not tried it! I might just have to haha. I hope you are staying safe and healthy as well! xTieghan
Made it! Delicious!! What I especially love about this drink is my ability to adjust it to my taste. I don’t love ultra sweet drinks, so I can add more coffee, less, honey, etc… I can even just add a splash of this yummy horchata mixture to flavor a large glass of iced coffee. I am really looking forward to a warm and sunny day here in Michigan, so I can fully enjoy this as a refreshing horchata iced coffee, as opposed to a coffee flavored horchata!
I am so glad you enjoyed this Andrea! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Just wondering…you don’t strain the rice after blenderizing it?
Hi Crystal,
No need to strain! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Reminds me of a cold brew horchata that I had in LA a few months ago. It was absolutely delicious. Cannot wait to make this!
Thank you so much Kristy! xTieghan
This looks delicious! Do I need to strain the horchata once it’s out of the blender?
Hi Kash,
Thanks so much for your message! You do not need to strain the horchata after blending!
My comment is in the general category, not specific to today’s recipe.
I’ve been flipping through your cookbooks looking for things to make once eat twice that also utilize the common staples I have in the pantry so I can follow the “stay at home orders”. It would be great if you would feature some of those recipes in your daily blog. AND, please include some the kids can help with as they are getting restless.
Hi Bonnie! I will try to add more recipes that you can use pantry staples for. Have you checked out my Instagram stories? I posted a bunch of recipes that would be great for right now! xTieghan
These photos are beautiful. I could look at them all day.
Thank you so much! xTieghan
I love horchata and I love Kahlua. I cannot wait to make this.
Thank you so much Karen! I hope you love this! xTieghan
I’m on it! QUESTION: Can I just add the coffee to the pitcher and drink the whole thing? or is the coffee suppose to go in just before each drink due to the swirl of colors? I have wanted a recipe like this for years when I first heard about horchata in a comment somewhere. I will be drinking this after working in the garden today – thankful for a great reason to be outside and relaxing refreshment to boot!
Hi Mary,
I would recommend adding the coffee when you are pouring each drink!
I just recently discovered your food blog and it is fantastic. Every day I check in and I am constantly surprised that there is always a new wonderful recipe . Your photography and videos are top notch too! Thank-you for all of the effort you put into your work!
Aw you are too kind! It is worth it to see how much you guys enjoy my recipes! Thank you Char! I hope you love everything you try! xTieghan
Oh, wow, it looks absolutely delicious. All the ingredients I love. I have never heard of such a coctail so it will be a great challenge for me to make it. We all need some joy in this hard time. Thank you for sharing the recipe, Tieghan. I take a great pleasure in reading your second book right now. I was so surprised I could actually order it through one of our local online book store.
Love from the Czech Republic xxx
Hi Hana! I am so glad you like this! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan