Hazelnut Rice Milk

I'm a bit addicted to using hazelnut soy creamer in my coffee, so I thought perhaps I would try making a homemade version. This was adapated from a recipe in The Complete Vegan Kitchen.

3/4 cup rice (raw white, jasmine, basmati are all OK; brown rice will take longer to cook)
1/4 cup hazelnuts (cashews or almonds could be substituted)
12? cups water
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Rinse the rice and then place in a large pot along with the hazelnuts. Add 6 cups water; mix well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 2 to 4 hours (depends on what kind of rice you use; brown rice will take longer, for example). Check the pot periodically to add more water to keep the same level of water in the pot (my version took 3-4 hours and I added water twice during cooking and more during blending, to achieve the desired consistency). The rice should be falling apart and the liquid should be quite milky. Remove from heat, cover the pot and let cool. Add sugar, vanilla and salt. Blend with an immersion blender or in a blender/food processor. Keep refrigerated. Makes about 2 quarts.