Combine Rice With 3 Pantry Staples To Create A Delicious Mexican Drink

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If you've ever walked into a traditional Mexican taqueria, you've likely seen massive jugs of tempting beverages on offer, and perhaps you've wondered what they are. These refreshing drinks called agua frescas provide a bit of welcome relief from spicy and palate-coating foods like carne asada steak tacos. They might be made from water and ice mixed with various fruits, flowers, spices, or tea leaves. The distinctive-looking milky white one is horchata, and it is made from rice, cinnamon sticks, and sweetened condensed and evaporated milk.

Making horchata at home is easy and involves ingredients you likely already have on hand, but it does require a bit of time and know-how. The method involves soaking rice in water — usually overnight — with a few of the cinnamon sticks that lend the drink its distinctive warming notes. Once the rice is softened, the mixture is blitzed in a blender or Vitamix to pulverize all of the rice grains. This creamy-looking concoction is pushed through a very fine strainer or cheesecloth so that you end up with a smooth and light liquid. This milky liquid is mixed with equal parts of both evaporated and sweetened condensed milk to add creaminess and sweetness to the elixir.

While horchata looks opaque and thick, its flavor profile somehow feels light and not cloying. You can doctor the taste of your homemade horchata to your liking with vanilla extract, more sweetened condensed milk, or even additional sugar. For horchata with maximum flavor, use fragrant basmati rice, which plays well with the cinnamon notes. You can even experiment with toasting the rice before pureeing it. 

Classic horchata also makes a lovely base for other flavor additions. Depending on personal tastes, the season, and what is being served, some people incorporate fruits like melon and berries or nuts like almonds. Or, to take your horchata in a decidedly autumnal direction, try adding canned pumpkin puree and a bit of pumpkin pie spice. The best news is that you can keep the rice, cinnamon sticks, and canned milks on hand in your pantry, so that even when the refrigerator looks bare, you are primed and ready to whip up this thirst-quencher year-round.