What do you get when you combine ackees and horchata? Ackee-chata of course! 😂

Horchata generally refers to a beverage or group of beverages made from rice, nuts and/or seeds. The rice, nuts and/or seeds are soaked and blended with water to produce a drink with a milky appearance. This drink is then sweetened and served over ice so it is cool and refreshing.

To create this Ackeechata I started by soaking rice, almonds and cinnamon for the base then added the cooked ackees to make the drink creamy.

Lightly sweetened with cane sugar, the finished product was then poured over ice and spiked with a shot of Cinnamon Whiskey 😋. It’s the perfect drink to have with your feet propped up on a warm summer evening after a long day of work!

This horchata inspired drink is as unique as the ackee fruit used to make it, #vegan

The inspiration for this drink came from the delicious horchata hubby and I enjoyed at the Taqueria Mexico in Waltham, Massachusetts. Tucked away at the end of a row of houses on a narrow street. No where near where you’d think you’d find a restaurant was this cozy, bustling joint. We knew we were in for a treat the moment shuffled ourselves in from the cold and found every table full with severs busily moving about.

In old school Jamaican taxi stylin we “smalled up” ourselves near the door and patiently waited for a table to open up. As luck would have it we didn’t have to wait long and were soon seated. This was easily one of the most enjoyable meals we’ve had to date.

As with the Peanut Punch, my attempt was not to recreate it. But to make an ackee version that could stand alongside it. And just like the peanut punch, I believe I achieved just that.

A-nontraditional-twist-on-Horchata-that-is-as-unique-as-the-fruit-used-to-make-it,-ackees

What do you think? As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you make this or any of the other recipes from the site, be sure to #amazingackee so that I can see your posts across social media.

Thanks for stopping by, until next time!

A-nontraditional-twist-on-Horchata-that-is-as-unique-as-the-fruit-used-to-make-it,-ackees

Ackeechata (Ackee Horchata)

Chantal
Though not authentic this twist on horchata is as unique as the fruit used to make it
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Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

To soak:

  • 3/4 cup Long grain rice washed
  • 3/4 cup Almonds I used blanched & slivered
  • 3 cups Water
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick

To finish:

  • 1 cup Ackee boiled (or canned)
  • 5 tbsps Sugar or more if you would like it sweeter
  • Splash of Vanilla Extract

For serving:

  • Ice
  • Cinnamon Whiskey optional
  • Ground cinnamon optional

Instructions
 

  • Combine rice, almonds, cinnamon stick and water in a bowl; cover with plastic and let sit overnight (or a minimum of 4 hours). If you’re pressed for time, heat the water and pour it over the rice, almonds and cinnamon, cool briefly and then proceed, however, it will not have a chance to develop as nice a flavour.
  • When ready to blend, remove cinnamon stick and pour into blender. Blend till smooth then pass through a cheesecloth* lined strainer. Press gently to extract all the liquid.
  • Rinse blender and return strained liquid to jug. Add ackee, sugar and vanilla. Blend till smooth, taste and add more sugar if desired.
  • Serve chilled over ice, dust with cinnamon powder if desired. (If using the whiskey, pour a shot over the ice into the glass before pouring the Ackeechata)
  • Enjoy!

Notes

*You may have to double up the cheesecloth so the holes are fine. Alternately, you can use a nut milk bag
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