As the winter months start to settle in, friends and family all await for my mother’s homemade horchata. It becomes the drink of choice for everyone young and old. And we all know we’re getting close to Christmas when we hear my mom is making a big batch. It’s the drink that as I grow older, I just can’t stand the idea of going through the holidays without having in my cup.
Horchata has been a staple of Mexican culture for hundreds of years. With the many varieties and spins on the classic drink, this is the one my family makes every year for the holidays.
Ingredients
-1-cup rice
-1 small stick cinnamon
-1 can sweet condensed milk
-1 tsp. vanilla extract
-Dab of lemon juice
Directions:
To make a one-gallon batch, soak one
cup of rice in warm tap water with one stick of cinnamon for one hour. Fill a pitcher with cold water, then add one can of sweetened condensed milk. Strain the rice into the pitcher and blend the rice with remaining water until it has a smooth consistency. Add a dash of ground cinnamon as well as a dab of lemon juice then serve chilled with ice.