drinks

Mexican horchata is an agua fresca made from rice and cinnamon. It descends from the Spanish horchata de chufa of Valencia, which uses tiger nuts. In Mexico, rice took over, and the result is the creamy drink that tames even salsa de árbol.

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 cinnamon stick (canela), broken up
• 5 cups water, divided
• 1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
• 1 tsp vanilla, optional splash of milk

1. Soak rice and cinnamon in 2 cups hot water overnight.
2. Blend until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
4. Stir in the remaining 3 cups water, sugar and vanilla. Serve over lots of ice.