Iced Cinnamon Horchata-Style Cooler
Cold-brewed cinnamon tea blended with rice milk and a touch of vanilla — a creamy, naturally sweet cooler inspired by horchata traditions.
This cooler borrows from the horchata traditions found across Mexico and parts of Central America, where cinnamon is steeped with rice or nuts to create a creamy, lightly sweet drink. Here, a strong cinnamon tea concentrate stands in for ground cinnamon, giving a cleaner infusion with the same warm sweetness.
Cold-brewing the cinnamon bark overnight produces a smoother, less sharp flavor than a hot brew cooled quickly — the slow extraction draws out sweetness and roundness while leaving behind any harsher, more astringent notes.
Rice milk gives this drink its traditional horchata-like body, but oat or whole milk both work well as substitutes if that's what's on hand. A touch of vanilla deepens the cinnamon's natural sweetness without needing much added sugar.
Serve this over a tall glass of ice on a warm afternoon. It tastes like a dessert but contains no caffeine, making it equally suitable as a midday treat or an early-evening refresher.
Ingredients
- 3 cinnamon sticks, broken
- 3 cups cold water
- 1 cup rice milk (or oat milk)
- 2 tbsp sugar or honey, to taste
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of ground cinnamon, for garnish
- Ice cubes
How to make it
- 1Combine broken cinnamon sticks and cold water in a jar. Cover and refrigerate 8–12 hours.
- 2Strain out the cinnamon pieces through a fine sieve, pressing gently to extract flavor.
- 3Whisk the cinnamon concentrate with rice milk, sugar or honey, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- 4Pour over ice in tall glasses, dust with a pinch of ground cinnamon, and serve immediately.
Want to learn more about Cinnamon? Visit its full profile.
Back to CinnamonYou might also like
Cinnamon and Honey Comfort Tonic
A simple, warming tonic of simmered cinnamon bark, honey, and a squeeze of lemon — the classic after-dinner cup for easing a heavy stomach and winding down.
Spiced Cinnamon Apple Mocktail
A caffeine-free mocktail of cinnamon tea, apple cider, and a splash of soda — warm spice and crisp fruit in a celebratory, alcohol-free glass.