Light, refreshing and slightly sweet, my Holiday Horchata is the perfect cocktail for the winter season. It’s reminiscent of egg nog, but not nearly as rich and heavy. Spicy, boozy and downright delicious, this drink certainly makes the season bright and merry.
To make, add 1½ cups of uncooked long-grain white rice to a food processor. Process the rice for about 5 minutes. This will be a noisy job, it’s best to leave the kitchen while the processor runs. After 5 minutes, check on the rice. It should be broken up, with finer, powdery bits interspersed between the broken grains. Add ½ cup of granulated sugar to the rice, along with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg and ⅛ teaspoon of ground clove. Pulse the mixture to incorporate the ingredients.
Pour the rice and sugar mixture into a large bowl. Stir in 4 cups of cold water, 2 cups of milk and one teaspoon of vanilla. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 8 hours. Stir the mixture periodically.
After 8 hours, strain the rice from the liquid. Discard the solids and pour the horchata into a large pitcher or jar. To serve, place a few cubes of ice into a small glass tumbler, pour in 1.5 ounces of Maker’s Mark whisky and top with the horchata. Stir to mix then garnish with a dusting of nutmeg. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Holiday Horchata
Ingredients
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice (uncooked)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground clove
- 4 cups cold water
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Makers Mark whisky (optional)
Instructions
- Add the uncooked rice to a food processor. Chop for 5 minutes or until pulverized.
- Add the sugar and spices and pulse to mix.
- Pour the rice and sugar mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the water, milk and vanilla.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 8 hours.
- After 8 hours, strain the rice from the milk and discard the solids. Pour the horchata into a large pitcher for serving.
- To make this a boozy cocktail, fill a glass tumbler with ice and add 1.5 ounces of Makers Mark whisky. Top with the horchata, stir and garnish with ground nutmeg. Serve immediately.
- Store any leftover horchata in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
