Super Simple Horchata

Ingredients

• 1 cup Jasmine rice (rinsed with cold water)
• 7.5 cup Water (divided: 4 cups for soaking, 3.5 cups for the final mix)
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 12 oz Evaporated milk (1 can)
• 14 oz Sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
• 0.5 cup Sugar
• 2 capful Mexican vanilla (approximately 2 tsp)
• Ground cinnamon (for garnish)
• Ice (to fill pitcher and glasses)

Steps

1. 1

   Place 1 cup of jasmine rice into a strainer or sieve and rinse thoroughly with cold water.

2. 2

   Transfer the rinsed rice to a bowl and add 4 cups of water and 1 cinnamon stick.

3. 3

   Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to soak for approximately 12 hours.

4. 4

   After soaking, pour the rice, the soaking water, and the cinnamon stick into a blender.

5. 5

   Blend the mixture on high for 2 to 3 minutes until the rice and cinnamon are finely pulverized.

6. 6

   Strain the blended mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl. For a smoother texture, use cheesecloth if available.

7. 7

   Strain the liquid a second time to ensure all gritty rice particles are removed, then pour the strained liquid into a large pitcher.

8. 8

   Add one can of evaporated milk and one can of sweetened condensed milk to the pitcher.

9. 9

   Add 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 capfuls of Mexican vanilla, and the remaining 3.5 cups of water.

10. 10

    Stir the mixture thoroughly until the milks and sugar are well combined.

11. 11

    Fill the pitcher with ice and stir again to chill.

12. 12

    Serve in glasses over more ice and garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

Notes

Using jasmine rice provides a nice floral aroma, but standard long-grain white rice also works. Straining twice is key to avoiding a chalky texture. If you don't have Mexican vanilla, standard vanilla extract can be substituted.

Nutrition per serving

• drink
• Mexican
• horchata
• sweet
• cinnamon
• rice milk
• vegetarian