Horchata (Mexican sweet rice beverage)

About 2 quarts

Horchata (or-CHA-tah) is a milky white, sweet beverage that was introduced to Spain by the Moors. The original Spanish version is made with ground tiger nuts and is especially popular in Valencia. In Latin America, where the tiger nut is not commonly available, pulverized rice is used. In Mexico, horchata is one of the most common aguas frescas and is ladled from large glass jars set in ice.

ingredients

Rice -- 2 cups
Water -- 6 cups
Cinnamon -- 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar -- 1/3 cup
Vanilla -- 1 teaspoon

directions

Preparation

1
Soak the rice overnight in 3 cups of the water. Add the rice, soaking water and cinnamon to a blender and puree until smooth, 2-3 minutes.
2
Strain into a pitcher through a fine-meshed sieve or several layers of cheesecloth. There should be no grit or large particles in the liquid.
3
Stir in the remaining 3 cups water, sugar and vanilla. Adjust sugar to taste and serve well chilled.

Variations

1
El Salvador: flavored with ground morro seed (from the calabash tree gourd) and various spices.
2
Nicaragua and Honduras: flavored with ground jícaro seeds (from the calabash tree gourd) and cocoa.
3
Mexico-Oaxaca: tinted pink with a dollop of the pureed fruit of the prickly pear cactus (tuna in Spanish).
4
Other possible additions: a squeeze of lime juice, ground nutmeg, ground allspice.
5
Substitute 3 cups of milk for 3 cups of the water. Or use evaporated milk for a richer, creamier version.
6
Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup blanched, chopped almonds to the blender when pureeing the soaked rice.
7
Some recipes call for grinding the rice before soaking. Use a spice or coffee grinder to first pulverize the rice. Then add the water to soak. The soaking time can usually be cut in half when following this method.