Horchata Cocktail with Spiced Rum

Name: Horchata Summer Cocktail
Prep time: 5 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup Horchata base (diy or packaged mix); 1 shot spiced rum; 3 Tbsp. Cinnamon simple syrup (if using unsweetened horchta base); cinnamon sticks or licorice roots for garnish

Home » Drinks: Cocktails, Drink Syrups, and Mocktails » Horchata Cocktail with Spiced Rum (Plus Mocktail Ideas)

Quick Summary: Quick Summary: A creamy, cooling cocktail made with homemade horchata base, spiced rum, and cinnamon simple syrup. Horchata is a sweetened rice-based drink popular in Spain and Mexico. Make the base a day ahead, then the cocktail comes together in minutes. Prep: 5 min (plus overnight for base) | Serves: 1

Rum Horchata craft cocktail with ingredients

Jump to: RECIPE | How to Make Cinnamon Syrup | How to Make the Cocktail | FAQ

A popular way to cool down in Spain or Mexico is to enjoy a sweetened rice-based drink called horchata. Easy to make if you think ahead a day, and flexible enough to have with or without alcohol.

The recipe below is for a rum-based horchata cocktail, and it links to a recipe to make your own horchata base at home. Homemade horchata base allows you to experiment with sweetness, substitutions, and additions of fruit for non-alcoholic drinks as well.

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Horchata with rum: a cooling cocktail

Horchata with a little cinnamon vanilla syrup an some good rum is an excellent way to enjoy a Summer evening on the porch. Making your own horchata is easy if you think a day ahead of time!

Once you make the horchata base and the simple syrup you will have enough for a refreshing afternoon beverage for a week (unless you are relaxing with friends, and then you will only have enough for an evening).

How to Make Cinnamon Vanilla Simple Syrup

Ingredients for Syrup

1 cups sugar
1 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
½ star anise
3 cloves
½ tsp vanilla

Directions

In a saucepan add sugar, water, whole spices and vanilla (if you don’t want to spoon the whole spices out later, wrap them in a bit of cheesecloth and secure with a band or tie and place the bag in the pot)
Bring the mix to a boil slowly, stirring to dissolve the sugar. After the mix comes to a boil, cover, turn off the heat and steep the spices in the syrup for 30 min. to 1 hour.
Strain the syrup to remove the whole spices (or remove the spice bag if you used that) and pour syrup into bottle and refrigerate.

If you skip the horchata base and just make the cinnamon vanilla simple syrup, there are many different drinks you can make with the syrup. My favorites are:

Adding the syrup to hot cider or hot chocolate
Using the syrup in place of sugar in an Irish Coffee or other coffee cocktails
Adding 2-3 Tablespoons of the syrup to a tall glass of sparkling water for a wonderful Italian soda (tastes like cream soda only fresher)

How to Make a Horchata Cocktail

The ingredient and recipe details are listed in the recipe card below. In short, combine homemade horchata base, spiced rum, and cinnamon simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

FAQ

What is horchata?

A sweetened rice-based drink popular in Spain and Mexico. Traditional horchata is made by soaking rice (and sometimes almonds or tiger nuts) in water, blending, straining, and sweetening. It’s creamy, refreshing, and naturally dairy-free.

Can I use store-bought horchata mix?

Yes, but most packaged mixes are pre-sweetened. If using a mix, reduce or skip the cinnamon simple syrup to avoid an overly sweet drink.

What rum works best?

Spiced rum complements the cinnamon and vanilla flavors. Dark rum or aged rum also work well. Avoid white rum, which is too neutral for this drink.

How do I make a non-alcoholic version?

Skip the rum and enjoy the horchata base over ice with a splash of cinnamon syrup. You can also blend horchata with fresh fruit for a smoothie-style mocktail.

What else can I do with cinnamon simple syrup?

Add it to hot cider, hot chocolate, or coffee drinks. Use it in place of sugar in an Irish coffee. Mix 2 to 3 tablespoons with sparkling water for an Italian soda that tastes like cream soda.

How long does homemade horchata base last?

3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Shake or stir before using since the rice solids may settle.

For more, check out this collection of recipes for homemade cocktails, Italian sodas and non-alcohol drinks.

Horchata Summer Cocktail

This cocktail is super easy once you have the horchata base made. If you don’t want to make the base you can purchase dry powder packages of horchata mix in the grocery stores but they are pre-sweetened. The base is easy but you have to think ahead a day.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 0

Servings

Calories 212

Author Dorothy Stainbrook

Equipment

bar tools

Ingredients

¾ cup Horchata base diy or packaged mix
1 shot spiced rum
3 Tbsp. Cinnamon simple syrup if using unsweetened horchta base
cinnamon sticks or licorice roots for garnish

Instructions

Fill a rocks glass with ice.
Combine all of the ingredients (except the cinnamon stick or licorice root) in a cocktail shaker and fill the shaker with ice.
3/4 cup Horchata base, 1 shot spiced rum, 3 Tbsp. Cinnamon simple syrup
Shake vigorously and strain into the rocks glass.
Garnish with cinnamon stick or licorice root.
cinnamon sticks or licorice roots for garnish

Notes

Note: Here’s the details on making homemade horchata base, as well as DIY cinnamon vanilla syrup

Nutrition

Calories: 212kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSodium: 94mgPotassium: 28mgSugar: 41gCalcium: 24mgIron: 2mg

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