• 1 cup long grain rice, rinsed well
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar
  • 2 cups 1 or 2 % milk
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

Last weekend we celebrated Chinese New Year with a big bash.  Our home was filled with the aroma of family recipes, bright colors of gold and red and our closest friends.

But, this post is about the deliciously sinful  Mexican drink called Horcata.

This Mexican drink found its way onto my menu for our new year party becasue well, it is an almond rice milk. Rice first grew when people, who had lived mainly on hunting, fishing, and fruit collecting, happened to leave some seeds in low-lying areas. Later, these people began developing the land, making it more suitable for farming. Weeding, rice transplanting, and irrigating all originated in the Yellow River Valley region in the north, and Hanshui Basin region in the northwest.

So there you have it! I decided to make this recipe orogianlly found in Mexican for our Chinese New year. Did you need to know that1/ Nope. I just thought you may gnat to know.

I know you NEED to know how delicious this drink was and how very simple it was to make. Not only does it taste like liquid rice pudding (for you rice pudding lovers out there) but your home will smell of cinnamon and almond which let’s face it, are wonderful aromas!

Not only is it super easy to prepare but it can be prepared up to two days in advance and kept in eh refrigerator. It can also be served hot or cold. I like serving my horchata in glasses garnished with a cinnamon stick.

Here’s how I did it!

1. Thoroughly rise off your rice. Place it in a large pan filled with 2 quarts of water. Allow the rice to sit in the pan, covered for three hours.

2. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook rice for 30 minutes or until very soft. Remove the cinnamon stick (which will be tripled in size) and add the sugar.

3.Scoop about 1/3 of your mixture into your blender. Puree the rice milk with the lid NOT completely closed. Never, ever, ever close your lid when hot food or liquid is being processed.

4. Transfer your blended rice into a large bowl and continue blending your rice mixture in batches.

5. Once all of the rice has been blended, add 2 cups of milk, vanilla and almond extract.

6. Again in batches puree together rice milk and cow’s milk (you can substitute water, rice or soy milk as well). Add less or more milk until you get the consistency you prefer.

Confession: I thought about adding a little rum to mine! : )