Your email address is required to begin the subscription process. We will use it for customer service and other communications from Milk Street. You can unsubscribe from receiving our emails at any time.

Agua de Horchata
"A sweet and refreshing drink, horchata is often served during lunch or dinner, or enjoyed by itself throughout the day, especially during the hot summer season. Its fresh, creamy flavor makes it an excellent beverage to have on hand when you find yourself eating a dish that is spicy. Horchata is the most prevalent of the aguas frescas in Mexico. It is usually made with rice, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, but in the south of the country, you can also find it made with almond or coconut. Some people like to add milk in the preparation of this drink, like me, while others prefer it without." — Mely Martínez
Reprinted with permission. "The Mexican Home Kitchen." Rock Point (September 2020)
3
Quarts
If you have a high-performance blender, you won’t need to rest the rice to soften it, as the blender will be powerful enough to grind the hard rice grains. Additionally, you probably won’t need to use a strainer to strain the rice water, as the rice mixture will be finely processed. Always taste the drink before adding the sugar in step 4. You might prefer more or less sugar than the amount indicated in the ingredients. If you find that the consistency of the horchata is too thick or dense for your taste, simply add more water. This drink can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
5 Minutes
Plus 8 hours of resting
Ingredients
-
2
cups (360 g) long-grain white rice
-
1
Mexican cinnamon stick
Directions
-
01Place the rice and cinnamon stick in a large glass bowl and add the hot water. Cover the bowl with a dish or plastic wrap, then let it soak for 8 hours, or overnight.
Pardon the interruption
You need to be a Milk Street Digital Member to see the full recipe
JOIN MILK STREET DIGITAL & PRINT
12 WEEKS FOR JUST $1
and get access to all of our recipes and articles online, as well as in print.
GET DIGITAL & PRINT
Do you refrigerate the rice while soaking over night? It seems risky from a food microbiology point of view if you don't keep it cold.