Cherri's Korner

Mexican Summer Drink

This week I found a unique Mexican summer drink. It’s a mild slightly sweet cinnamon infused flavor complements spicy Mexican food.

Horchata

• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup whole milk
• 5 cups hot water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (add to taste)

1. In a mixing bowl, add the rice, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon sticks.

2. Pour hot water into mixture and stir until the sweetened condensed milk dissolves.

3. Allow mixture to come to room temperature. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap then refrigerate the mixture for a minimum of 2 hours. Refrigerate up to 12 hours for a more concentrated flavor.

4. Uncover the mixture. Remove the cinnamon sticks and discard.

5. Strain the mixture to separate the rice. Reserve the liquid.

6. Add the rice and 1 1/2 cups of the strained liquid to your blender. Blend for 3 minutes until the rice is liquefied.

7. Strain the blended rice back into the reserved liquid. Blend the horchata mixture again if the mixture is gritty.

8. Serve over ice with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Notes: For a less sweet drink, reduce the sweetened condensed milk by half. For a dairy-free horchata, substitute 1 cup of unsweetened, unflavored almond milk for the whole milk. If it is too thick, add 1 cup cold water and stir well.