FRIENDS. the weather has heated up. thankfully, it’s not the blistering soul-sucking heat of last year, but it’s pretty warm nonetheless.
I DIGRESS.
the real reason i’m writing and bringing up the humdrum topic of weather is this: it’s a magical excuse to make all kinds of fun drinks. i mean, sure, i guess you could say the same of cold weather as well…. DIGRESSION.
the other day i was reading david lebovitz write about horchata and obviously needed to make it. obviously. what is horchata you ask? well, i’d heard of it before and besides knowing that it was a cold, white drink, i wasn’t sure myself. horchata is a spanish or latin america beverage made of rice or nuts or barley blended with milk sometimes, usually always some kind of spices–it kind of varies, as these things do, along regions. so, the one we’re talking about here (the one david lebovitz is talking about, let’s be honest) is the mexican variety made of rice, milk, and cinnamon. hooray! i like all of those things. and it’s actually super easy to make as well. DOUBLE HOORAY!
so, you start with some rice,
which you blend up til it’s fine like coarse polenta. let me tell you this takes some time, like at least a good five minute go. also, i definitely recommend a blender over a food processor, some reason the blender has a more focused rice-soul-ear-crushing force.
then, you soak it over night with a cinnamon stick so the rice and the cinnamon make nice friends with the water. all of it (sans cinnamon stick) goes into the blender til pale and frothy. give it a strain to remove the solids then, THEN, you get out these things:
on the left, we have rice milk–sweet, clean, earthy rice milk. on the right, simple syrup–easy, applicable, liquid goodness. introduce these to friends with your rice blend and get yoself a glass ’cause you’re done! ice, horchata, and a healthy dousing of cinnamon. BOOM–sweet, refreshing goodness for your tummy.
up next: homemade ricotta!
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mexican horchata a la david lebovitz
makes about 6 cups!
- 2/3 cup rice
- 3 cups warm water
- One 2-inch cinnamon stick
- 1/2 cup (or more to taste) simple syrup*
- 2 cups rice milk or regular milk
- Ground cinnamon, for serving
- buckle down that blender, ’cause we’re taking it for a spin! put the rice (i used long grain and m. lebovitz used short grain with success, so feel free to use what you got) in the blender and go forth until it’s like coarse sand
- when it’s good an ready, put it in a bowl with the cinnamon stick and the warm water, cover and let it set 8 hours or overnight
- pick out the cinnamon stick when you’re rice is all soaked and pruny, and take it through another spin in the blender til it’s nice and frothy and smooth (well, as smooth as can be, don’t stress yourself over it). strain it through a sieve, preferably with some cheesecloth if you have it on hand (nothing like running into a chunky piece of rice in your drinky times)
- get a pitcher, and let the rice blend be friends with whatever milk of your choosing and some simple syrup. now, i used rice milk that’s a bit sweeter than regular milk and i don’t like stuff too sweet, so you might be inclined to add more. DO IT.
- you’re done! get ye some ice and drink up!
*simple syrup is too easy to make for words. just take equal parts of sugar and water and put in a sauce pan on med-high until it turns clear. remove it from the heat and voila! simple syrup. you can flavor it, too if you like, or just put it in everything cold and needed sweet–booze, tea, coffee, booze, more booze. the sky’s the limit, friends!
