Horchata

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain white rice (185 grams)
• 1/2 cup raw almonds (60 grams)
• 1 cinnamon stick, about 3 inches long (7 grams)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (5 milliliters)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (1 gram)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (0.5 grams)
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar (75 grams)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (1.5 grams)
• 5 cups water for soaking (1.2 liters)
• 4 cups water for blending (950 milliliters)
• 2 cups additional water for serving (475 milliliters)
• Ice cubes for serving

Instructions

1. Combine the rice, almonds, and cinnamon stick in a large bowl and cover with 5 cups of room temperature water, allowing them to soak for at least 4 hours or overnight until the rice softens and the almonds absorb moisture.
2. Drain the soaked rice and almonds completely, discarding the soaking water and removing the cinnamon stick.
3. Place the drained rice and almonds into a blender along with 4 cups of fresh water, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and salt.
4. Blend on high speed for 3-4 minutes until the mixture becomes completely smooth and creamy with no visible rice or almond pieces remaining.
5. Strain the blended mixture through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a large pitcher, pressing gently with a spoon to extract all the liquid and leave the pulp behind.
6. Stir the strained horchata well and add the vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined.
7. Pour in 2 additional cups of water to reach your desired consistency and stir thoroughly.
8. Refrigerate the horchata for at least 1 hour until well chilled, and stir again before serving as the mixture naturally settles.
9. Pour into glasses filled with ice cubes and serve immediately, stirring each glass to distribute settled solids.