This sweet drink has been one of my favorites since I was a young girl and now my boys love it! We have so many great Mexican restaurants all around us that serve horchata- but I found that I needed to make this in bulk at home to keep everyone happy, including me! I like to make a big batch of this around the holiday. It is such a fun drink for kids and can be quickly made into a celebratory drink with a little shot of whiskey.

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup of white rice (any kind will do)
• 2 cinnamon sticks (plus more for serving) 
• 24 oz of sweetened condensed milk
• 12 oz of evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 pinch of ground cinnamon per serving

Directions:

1. In a bowl rinse and drain rice. 
2. In a large bowl add rice, cinnamon sticks,  and 4 cups of water. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight is great as well!)
3. In a blender or food processor, put half of the rice and half of the rice water into the blender and blend well for at least 5 minutes. You can add a few of the cinnamon sticks but not all. (This will seem long but you really want to puree the rice into a mush consistency.) 
4. Pour rice mixture into another large bowl through a very fine strainer. 
5. Repeat this process with the remaining rice and rice water. 
6. Stir in sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla
7. Pour in 4-5 cups of cold water and stir until all is well mixed. 
8. Pour finished horchata into an air tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to four days. Remember to stir it well before serving since it is common that the very fine rice will settle at the bottom of the container. 
9. When serving, pour over ice, top with a pinch of cinnamon and serve.

Tip- I also love to serve this at holiday parties with a shot or two of whiskey. 

Enjoy,

Elizabeth