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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.Â
Rice Not Getting Soft: the water should be boiling and it needs to sit at least 2 hours to become soft.Â
This looks sooo good! For the horchata, could you use basmati rice?? Thank you!
Hi Lisa! Yes, that should work! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
So so good!!! I added cardamom to make it “chai-ish” and also vodka along with the Kahlua because #quarentinedwithatwoyearold. HA! This was a fun twist on my one of my favorites-White Russians. Thanks for the fun recipe!
Thank you so much Emily! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
Making this tonight! Where are these cups from? I know you posted it on your IG story that they are from Williams Sonoma, but I have seem to have lost it!
Hi Jackie! No worries, I will leave the link below! I hope you try this recipe! xTieghan
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/m/products/open-kitchen-glassware-collection/?cm_cat=116548&irpid=116548&irgwc=1&isx=0.0.0&pkey=ccasual-glassware-collections&cm_ite=None&clickid=QtFUYyymmxyOUlU0EkzjZTwgUki0NO2BLwanVo0&cm_ven=afshoppromo&bnrid=3917500&cm_pla=ir
made a batch of this last night…waiting for cocktail hour later today! But in the meantime, I mixed it 50/50 with my morning coffee and it’s DEElicious! Try it, you’ll love it.
Thank you so much Evie! xTieghan
I LOVE horchata and making it dirty was the best thing ever! Thank you for this recipe! I personally liked to drink it best in the morning with espresso and sans alcohol.
Thank you so much Carma! I am really glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
Do you think Jasmine rice would work?
Yes you can use jasmine rice! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Would almond milk work for this?
thanks!
Hi! Yes, it should work great for this! Thank you! xTieghan
Would you be able to use canned coconut milk as the milk in this or do you think it would be to strong? I’m not sure if the water/rice mixture would be enough to dilute it.Very excited to try this tonight!
Hi Tabitha,
Yes there is canned coconut milk in this recipe already. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Is the rice supposed to get mushy before you blend it? I’ve had my rice sitting in water for about 24 hours and the grains still feel pretty tough.
I don’t have white rice! :'( Will brown rice work, or is it not the right texture? I made your buttermilk biscuits & fried chicken yesterday, since I had a whole thing of buttermilk that I needed to use, so thank you for still posting through all of this craziness!
Hi Lauren,
White rice is best but if you only have brown rice that will still work! I hope you love the recipe and please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi, do you need to rinse the rice (as you would if yo cooked the rice) before soaking?
Thanks!
Hi Christine,
No need to rinse the rice! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. xTieghan
Good Lord this is just what the doctor ordered. I stored the mixture in the blender in the fridge and pulsed it to reincorporate the coconut fat and milk.
Yes!! I am so glad you enjoyed this Stephanie! xTieghan
I made this for my family Sunday dinner, everyone loved it! I rimmed the goblets with cinnamon sugar, and poured the coffee and liquor on top and let it swirl together for a pretty table presentation. Everyone got to mix it themselves.
Will definitely be making again!
That is so great! I am so glad you all enjoyed this Beka! Thank you! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Thanks for sharing! Can you tell me about the glass you used? Where you got it? Thanks!
Thanks so much Tracy! The glass is from Crate and Barrel.
a nice change for me and perfect for a Saturday night, thank you!
Thank you Sabrina! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan