Licor 43 Horchatta (vegan) Recipe

Soak nuts, seeds and rice

Rinse the blanched almonds, sunflower seeds, and rice briefly. Place them in a bowl with 2 cups cold water and the cinnamon stick. Cover and refrigerate to soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. This softens the ingredients and mellows raw flavors.

Drain and rinse

After soaking, discard the soaking water and rinse the almonds, seeds and rice under cold running water to remove any residual starch and bitterness.

Blend base

Place the drained almonds, sunflower seeds, rice, split vanilla bean (scrape seeds into the blender and add the pod) and 2 cups fresh cold water into a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 1–2 minutes until the mixture is very smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides as needed.

Strain the horchatta

Line a fine-mesh sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth or a nut-milk bag over a bowl. Pour the blended mixture through the cloth, gently pressing and squeezing to extract as much liquid as possible. You should obtain a silky, slightly opaque horchata-style milk. Discard the solids or save for baking.

Infuse flavor

Transfer the strained horchata to a pitcher. Add the Licor 43, maple syrup, agave nectar, orange zest, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Stir thoroughly to combine. Taste and adjust sweetness or aromatics — add up to 1 more teaspoon maple syrup if you prefer sweeter, or an additional 1/4 tsp orange zest for brighter citrus notes.

Rest to meld

Cover and refrigerate the flavored horchata for at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours) to let the Licor 43 and spices integrate into the base. Chilling also helps the flavors round out.

Adjust texture and creaminess

After chilling, stir in the canned coconut milk and oat milk to bring a round, creamy mouthfeel similar to traditional horchata with dairy. Taste and add the optional fine sugar if additional sweetness is desired. If the mixture seems too thick, add up to 1/4 cup more oat milk to reach preferred consistency.

Serve chilled

Fill serving glasses with ice cubes. Pour the Licor 43 Horchatta over the ice, leaving a little room at the top for garnish.

Lightly dust each glass with a pinch of cinnamon powder and a small pinch of orange zest. Give the drink a gentle stir before serving. Serve immediately — optionally accompany with a small biscotti or vegan shortbread.