Whenever I get Mexican food (a favorite, but growing up in Southern California, that almost goes without saying), I always, without fail, every single time order horchata. If you’re unfamiliar with horchata, it’s a magical elixir of tastiness — think of it as rice pudding, but in drink form and lighter. It’s refreshing. Knowing that, it was only a matter of time for me to tackle this most amazing of drinks in booze form, let’s get down with the Horchata Cocktail!
The first thing to know about horchata is that it’s a rice drink — you basically soak rice in water overnight, with some cinnamon, then blend the hell out of it, strain and you have a rough approximation. There are variations with almonds, other spices, etc. I tend to prefer a little bit of almond flavor, so I started there.
My experimentation began with almond milk. I didn’t want it to be too heavy, hence avoiding milk, cream or anything similar. With the Horchata Cocktail, I was looking for a refreshing, yet slightly boozy, rendition. 
From there, it was about hitting on the other big flavor in horchata: cinnamon. I knew that just tossing some cinnamon on top would look nice (and hey look, we did!), but it wouldn’t infuse the cocktail with enough flavor. Time for one of our favorite tricks: infused simple syrup.
To make the cinnamon infused simple syrup, you just take one part of sugar to one part of water, bring to a boil with a cinnamon stick or three, then let hang out until cool. The longer it hangs out, the more infused it’ll become.
After I’d locked down the base flavor (almond milk) and accent flavor (cinnamon simple syrup), it was a matter of picking the alcohol. Well, we are talking a Mexican favorite here, there really wasn’t any choice. Hello Mr. Tequila. Oh, and as a background play, let’s bring in some almond liqueur as well.
Now we’re cooking with tasty, refreshing, elixir of the gods!
Onto the Horchata Cocktail!
Tequila Horchata Cocktail
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
Description
This creamy, cinnamon-spiced horchata cocktail is spiked with tequila and perfect with some spicy Mexican food.
Ingredients
- 4 oz. ALMOND MILK
- 1/2 oz. ALMOND LIQUEUR
- 1/2 oz. CINNAMON SIMPLE SYRUP
- 2 oz. ANJEO TEQUILA
- GLASS TYPE: COLLINS
Instructions
- Add everything into your cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake.
- Fill your glass with ice.
- Strain your shaken horchata into your glass.
- Garnish with some cinnamon.
- Order some tacos.
- Or a burrito.
- Really, chile verde is way to go.
- Oh, and drink your Horchata Cocktail.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of tequila works best in a horchata cocktail?
The recipe calls for añejo tequila. Añejo is barrel-aged (1–3 years), giving it vanilla and caramel notes that complement the cinnamon and almond in the horchata. Reposado (aged 2–12 months) is a lighter, slightly less expensive alternative that also works well. Blanco tequila is too sharp and grassy for this cocktail.
Can I make the cinnamon simple syrup ahead of time?
Yes, and it’s worth making a batch in advance. Combine equal parts sugar and water with 2–3 cinnamon sticks, bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool. The longer the cinnamon steeps, the more intense the flavor — overnight gives a noticeably richer result. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Is there a non-alcoholic version of this horchata cocktail?
Yes. Replace the 2 oz. añejo tequila and ½ oz. almond liqueur with 2 oz. additional almond milk and a few drops of almond extract. Shake with ice, strain over ice in a Collins glass, and garnish with cinnamon as usual. You get the creamy, spiced horchata flavor without the alcohol.
Such a fun recipe, made it this past weekend!
What specific ALMOND LIQUEUR did you use for this recipe?
Not the author, but Disaronno has worked well for me making this at home. I’ve also tried it with orgeat syrup when I wanted less booze and more direct almond. Same direction, less kick.
I’m from Honduras, our Horchata is slightly different from the Mexican, we use more seeds besides the rice and of course I’ve known it my whole life…it never crossed my mind to use it as a cocktail base, it just sounds weird! =)
I’d try making it with Rumchata!