Horchata is a drink that is made differently depending on what country you're from or happen to be in, and often depending on whose house or restaurant you happen to be sitting in at the time. It can be made from almonds, cashews, tigernuts, sesame seeds, rice, and even, rarely, barley. In my home, it's made from rice, cinnamon, water, a bit of vanilla, and some milk, though sometimes cream, if I want it to be rich. You can follow exact measurements, or you can mix to taste each time you make it. My favorite part about horchata, besides of course the fact that mine tastes like drinkable rice pudding, is that it's ridiculously easy to make, as long as you have a blender, and you think ahead.

Homemade grenadine. Why bother? Surely there's tons of ingredients, its a huge hassle, and who wants to mess with juicing cherries? Here's the thing. Grenadine syrup is NOT cherry syrup. So you can cut that complaint out, no cherries involved. Tons of ingredients? Nope, two. That's it. Huge hassle? Takes about ten minutes total, mostly of just stirring a pot. Simple. Why bother? Because its so good! Trust me, try it, you'll thank me later. :)