Author Adapted by Lisa Fain from a Rick Bayless recipe
Ingredients
2/3cupuncooked rice
1 1/4cupsblanched almonds
1teaspoonfreshly squeezed lime juice
1tablespoonfresh lime zest
1cinnamon stick
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1cupsugar or brown sugar(depending on how dark you want the drink)
Instructions
In a blender or spice grinder, grind the rice until it’s powdery. Place ground rice, almonds, lime juice, lime zest, and the cinnamon stick in a pot and cover with 2 cups of warm water. Let stand overnight or for 8 hours.
After the mixture has soaked, take out the cinnamon stick and pour contents into a blender with 2 cups of water and blend until smooth. Take a mesh colander that has been double lined with cheesecloth, and over a bowl or pitcher slowly pour the mixture, wringing the cheesecloth to get every last drop out. You should have a milky, smooth liquid at this point. If there are still rice and almond bits floating around, strain it again.
In a pot, heat up 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Stir this sugar water into the horchata, along with the vanilla. Add 1 more cup of water and serve over ice or chilled.
Keeps for several days in the refrigerator, but I bet it won’t last that long! And you might notice some separation after a day, but just stir it and it’ll be right again.