Horchata

Horchata is a Mexican drink of sweetened rice water mixed with spice. It is a really great drink for hot days. My wife spent some time abroad in Mexico and developed quite the taste for Mexican food. She told me that recipe comes out with a texture most similar to what she experienced there. The flavor is authentic, with a bit of my own flair.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ C of white rice
4 C of water
1 T of cinnamon
5 oz of sugar
¼ t of vanilla

Directions:

Grind the rice in a blender until it is coarsely ground, then pour into a 2 qt container. Add the 4 cups of water and cinnamon and let it soak, covered, on the counter overnight, 12 hrs would be best. I like this 2 qt canning jar because I can shake it to stir it whenever I walk by, every few hours.

The difference between granulated
and super-fine sugar

Once your patience has been taxed long enough and you want to drink this tasty beverage, put the 5 oz (by volume) of sugar in a blender and grind for about 30 sec turning it into super-fine sugar. Because if its better surface to mass ratio, superfine sugar dissolves better in cold liquids which makes it great for lemonade, iced tea, and cocktails.


Pour the sugar and vanilla into the brew and stir vigorously. Strain the mixture into another container or pitcher, serve over ice and enjoy. If the horchata is too grainy for your taste, run it through some cheesecloth, that should improve the texture immediately.