Authentic Horchata

Prep time: 15 min
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 servings

Description

Fragrant cinnamon and vanilla infuse this authentic horchata with Spanish flair for a sweet, refreshing summer "rice milk" you can make in advance!

Ingredients

2/3 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
3 cups warm water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cups milk
1/2 cup white sugar, or more to taste
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
ice
1 pinch ground cinnamon, or to taste

Directions

1 Grind rice into very fine, cornmeal-sized pieces using a blender or coffee grinder.
2 Transfer ground rice to a medium bowl, pour warm water on top, and drop in cinnamon sticks. Cover and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
3 Remove the cinnamon sticks. Place mixture back in the blender and puree until as smooth as possible.
4 Line a sieve with a couple layers of cheesecloth and strain the mixture. Squeeze cloths to extract as much flavor as possible.
5 Stir in milk, sugar, and vanilla extract until sugar has dissolved. Chill completely, at least 2 hours.
6 Serve over ice, garnished with cinnamon.