We're lucky in that we have a lot of really great Mexican restaurants in our area, and Jamie recently introduced Max to the wonder that is horchata, a refreshing traditional beverage made with rice milk and spices; I'd say it and chai are cousins, if you aren't familiar with the taste. We wanted to figure out a way to satisfy this same craving at home, but were determined to do it with ingredients we had on hand, so first up was the base liquid. We switched to almond milk from dairy milk last year, and I thought that the new Silk Almond Coconut Blend would be an even better fit, because I figured the mild sweetness of coconut would really go well with the already refreshing taste of the drink. We do lots of cooking with almond milknow, and this is one of our current favorites!
The basic recipe is very simple, and can easily be adjusted based on quantities needed… even better, it's super flexible and can be used for lots of different things! And before you ask, we call it Chachalocho because no matter how often he has it, Max cannot keep the word “horchata” in his brain. It comes out a hundred different ways, so when we came up with this recipe, we picked one of our favorites that he'd come up with.
Chachalocho
- 2 cups Silk Almond Coconut Blend
- 1/2 cup Agave Syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and warm to blend ingredients together.
Whisk to combine.
Transfer mixture to pitcher, add 2 cups cold water
Refrigerate overnight, serve over ice and enjoy!
A big tall glass of Chachalocho goes great with Mexican food, or on its own, or (this is amazing and you should try it!) as a frozen confection! Just make an ice cube tray full of Chachalocho cubes, wait for them to freeze, then toss them and a few splashes of Silk into the blender and YUM! It's a whole new way to enjoy the deliciousness!
