Put almonnds and half of the water in the blender. Blend for a good three to five minutes. With the blender still on, add the rest of the water a little at a time, then the vanilla and syrup. Blend another 2 minutes. Line a collander with a cheese cloth (you can get it at a cooking store, food co-op, or even a fabric store), and pour the milk through it. Squeeze the excess out of the almond gook in the cloth.
The gook left in the cloth makes a great facial scrub, or you can knead vegan sugar, color , and flavor into it and treat it like candy.