Chef John's Horchata

When it comes to delicious, unique, and refreshing summer drinks, it's hard to beat horchata. We're doing a Mexican-style horchata, which is done with rice and almonds. The result is something that sort of looks like milk, but is much lighter, and pairs perfectly with all your favorite summer foods.

• Preparation Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 5 mins
• Calories: 176 Calories

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup white sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
• ¼ cup raw almonds
• 7 cups cold fresh water, divided
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon for garnish

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place rice, almonds, cinnamon stick, and sugar in a blender. Pour in about 4 cups of the water. Pulse on and off to start. Then blend on high speed until ingredients have been chopped up into very small pieces, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining 3 cups cold, fresh water. Let mixture sit at room temperature about 4 hours. (Or you can refrigerate it overnight.) Stir occasionally.n

Step 2

Strain through several layers of cheesecloth into a pitcher. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Serve topped with a dusting of cinnamon.n