I'd like to claim I created this myself but really it's more of a love letter to my hometown of Los Angeles as it's inspired by two of my favorite food spots...
I'd like to claim I created this myself but really it's more of a love letter to my hometown of Los Angeles as it's inspired by two of my favorite food spots in the City of Angels.
The nut milk is inspired by G&B Coffee in LA, who uses a similar technique to make the milk in their legendary Almond Latte. Soon after I first had it, I was at Gracias Madre and had their Spiked Horchata cocktail made with mezcal and plenty of spice. Convinced that the sum of these two would be even more incredible than the individual parts, I began to tinker, as I do, until I came up with this Spiked Almond Hochata Latte cocktail that's shaken with tequila and coffee liqueur for a sort of White Russian gone south of the border.
This is the perfect drink year round as you can have it on ice with a spread of spicy Mexican food in the summertime to balance all the heat or you can lean into the holiday-like spices it has a serve it as an alternative to eggnog in the winter!
Okay, now it's time to stock up on these Mexican pantry ingredients, then try your hand at making this and then share your creation with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social!
plus more for garnish
or agave nectar or maple syrup
for garnish
Soak The Macadamia Almond Horchata: Bring 6 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Combine boiling water, rice, almonds, macadamia nuts, dates, and stick cinnamon in a large bowl—cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
You can buy raw almonds and blanch them at home. Follow our friend Tori's tip for how to easily blanch almonds yourself.
Blend The Macadamia Almond Horchata: Remove cinnamon then put half of the mix into a blender. Make sure to add equal parts solids and liquids to help the blender along. Set to the highest speed and process the horchata until smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. The horchata will be a touch chalky thanks to the rice. If you want it silkier and smoother, strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth.
Horchata will keep in the refrigerator for up to five days. Shake before using.
To Make One Cocktail: Combine 1/4 cup horchata in a cocktail shaker with coffee liquer and tequila, and fill the shaker halfway with ice. Shake and serve on the rocks with a grating of fresh cinnamon and a star anise piece.
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