A wide variety of horchata is immensely popular throughout Spain and Latin America. However, we bring you a special version, typical to Mexico, made with rice, almonds, and flavored with Ceylon cinnamon. Embodying the essence of warm weather and spicy cuisine, this sweet, cold, and creamy drink is an absolute delight.
The true potential of almonds and cinnamon is unlocked by toasting them, which adds depth and complexity to the drink, despite being made with only a handful of ingredients. By blending water, rice, toasted almonds, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, and salt for just a minute, we achieve a rich and full-flavored horchata. The usual strain-through process with cheesecloth is simplified by using a nut milk bag, resulting in a perfectly smooth and creamy texture without any chalkiness or grit.
Step 2: Transfer the almond mixture to a blender. Then, add water, rice, sugar, vanilla, lime zest, and salt. Process the mixture until it becomes smooth, approximately for 1 minute. Ensure to scrape down the sides of the blender jar as needed.
Step 3: Prepare a medium bowl with a nut milk bag placed inside. Pour the mixture into the nut milk bag, making sure it remains in the bowl. Close the bag and drape the enclosure over the edge of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, or you can leave it refrigerated for up to one day.
Step 4: Lift the nut milk bag above the bowl, allowing the remaining liquid to strain through it. Once the liquid no longer runs freely, firmly squeeze the bag to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. At this stage, you should have approximately 2 1/3 cups of horchata base. Whisk in the milk to complete the horchata. If desired, you can refrigerate the horchata for up to three days; just be sure to stir it before serving.
Step 4: Finally, serve the horchata over ice, and you can sprinkle some ground cinnamon for an extra touch of flavor.
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