Keep Cool and Sip Horchata
You may have seen horchata on the menu at your favorite Mexican restaurant. It’s a creamy, cinnamon-y rice drink that’s popular in Latin America and Spain. Usually served ice-cold, it’s a real treat to have during those especially warm days.
Depending on who - and what country - you ask, there are a ton of ways to make horchata. Spain, where the drink originated, uses tigernuts (which, by the way, are neither nuts nor tigers), whereas in Mexico, they use rice. Since tigernuts aren’t as readily available for us, we’ve opted for the latter.
Serves: 6 to 8 cups
What You Need
- 1 cup + 2/3 cups uncooked white long-grain rice
- 5 cups water, divided
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ½ cup white sugar
- 3 cups Milk
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Instructions
Pour the rice and 2 cups water into a blender. Pulverize until the rice breaks down, about 1 minute.
Add the remaining 3 cups of water and blend well.
Pour mixture into a pitcher and add the cinnamon sticks.
Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least three hours. To fully allow the rice to soften and infuse the cinnamon flavor, let it sit overnight.
Pour the rice-water-cinnamon mixture through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth, if you have one.
Discard cinnamon sticks and rice – or reuse it! (Rice pudding, perhaps?)
Add sugar, milk, and vanilla into the rice-water-cinnamon mixture and stir well until sugar is dissolved.
Either put in the refrigerator to chill or enjoy right away by pouring over ice.
For the finishing touch, add a dusting of cinnamon.
Did you try this recipe? Let us know how it turned out!