As it's always a good idea to try to scrimp and save as much money as you can, you might ponder different ways to cut down on costs like figuring out how to make RumChata and other delicious cocktail ingredients from home. Thankfully, the unique blend of creams, spices, and liquors used to create RumChata can easily be recreated using your own pantry supplies. So, if you're looking for that perfect copycat recipe to your favorite creamy drink ingredient, look no further than this at-home RumChata formula.
What Is RumChata?
RumChata is a drink that has significant roots in the traditional spiced beverage, horchata. Horchata is created by combining a blend of spices with water-soaked rice. Thomas Maas developed his own dairy-based horchata recipe and experimented with adding different types of liquor to the drink, ultimately determining that rum paired best with the warm spices and rich cream. Not long after, Maas launched the iconic brand, RumChata, and the almost cinnamon toast/ginger-snap quality to the drink has made it a longtime favorite ingredient in many holiday cocktails and snacks for decades.
How to Make RumChata
To make this copycat RumChata at home, you just need a couple of regular baking ingredients and some rum. Thankfully, the process to actually create homemade RumChata is as simple as throwing everything into a pitcher and stirring it together thoroughly. This recipe in particular makes a small pitcher's worth of copycat RumChata, and you can multiply all of the amounts of the ingredients to make enough for large gatherings or holiday parties.
Ingredients
- 1 cup simple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 3 cups milk (or non-dairy milk for dairy-free RumChata)
- ½ cup dark rum
- Ice
Instructions
- In a pitcher, combine all of the ingredients.
- Add ice and stir until the ingredients are mixed well.
- Either serve immediately or refrigerate to store for later.
Making Dairy-Free Copycat RumChata Is Easy
Unfortunately, people with dairy sensitives probably haven't ever tried the original RumChata beverage since it uses milk in its recipe; however, making it from home allows you to customize it to your own dietary restrictions. For example, you can easily swap out the milk in the homemade recipe with an equal amount of:
- Almond milk
- Rice milk
- Oat milk
- Soy milk
- Coconut milk
- Cashew milk
- Macadamia milk
Use the unsweetened, plain flavored versions of these non-dairy milks for best results. If you're lactpse intolerant versus allergic to dairy proteins, you use lactose-free milk. Sensitive stomachs don't have to be prevented from enjoying the deliciousness of RumChata, and substituting a non-dairy option in the recipe is a quick and easy fix.
Cocktails for Your Homemade RumChata
You can use your homemade RumChata just as you would the commercial version once you've brewed up your first batch of homemade RumChata. While you can enjoy just a straight glass of the rich and spicy drink, most people prefer to incorporate it into various mixed cocktails. Try tasty RumChata cocktail recipes using your own homemade version.
Avoid Acidic Ingredients
An important note to keep in mind when working with RumChata is to stray far away from acidic ingredients. Although the idea of adding RumChata to your sodas to make boozy floats sounds incredibly tasty, the reality is that the acids in things like soda and juice cause the milk in RumChata to curdle. So, you'll want to be careful about how you experiment with this cinnamon mixture and what you're pairing with it.
Make Copycat RumChata
There's nothing quite as satisfying as making something by hand and getting to revel in the finished product, and this easy tutorial that explains how to make your own RumChata from home lets you get your hands dirty in that delightful way. So, roll up your sleeves, dig out your pitchers, and get mixing!
