When it gets chilly and nippy outside during the holidays, I typically want warm cozy drinks like chamomile tea, hot chocolate or even hot toddies. I love the feeling of holding a hot mug and nuzzling my nose above the steam. But every once in a while, I crave Mexican horchata.

I used to live in Mexico when I was a little kid for a few years, but tbh, I don’t remember drinking this that young. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I was at an El Salvadorian restaurant eating bean and cheese pupusas, and I saw horchata on the menu. Intrigued and curious about its flavor, I followed suit and ordered one like my friend. It was DELICIOUS.

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What is it?

A popular drink in the Mexican culture, it’s a creamy white beverage that comes from soaked rice and cinnamon and is flavored with splashes of vanilla extract and sugar. After everything is blended together, the solids are strained out leaving you with a milky and tasty beverage. It’s served cold and commonly sold alongside other Mexican street foods like tacos, tortas and tostadas. Speaking of which, have you seen my recipe for butternut squash tostadas?!

As I thought about recreating this drink at home, I realized I already had all of these ingredients in my pantry – which means one less trip to the grocery store!

How do you make it?

The night before you wish to drink your bevy...begin the prep work. In a large bowl, soak the rice, cinnamon sticks and almonds in water (covered) and let it sit at room temperature overnight.

• ‍In the morning, strain the water from the mixture (reserving the water for later) and pour into a blender with evaporated milk. Blend until very smooth and the grains are completely ground.

• ‍This is the most important step: Then, using a cheese cloth, strain the mixture into a pitcher making sure ONLY the creamy liquid is being obtained. The last thing you want is a chalky drink, that’s no bueno.

• ‍Optional step: If you find that your end result doesn’t produce at least a cup and a half of liquid, repeat this process using the reserved water from the pre-soaked rice. Simply pour the rice grounds into the water and let set for one to two hours (covered). Then use a cheese cloth to once again obtain just the creamy liquid and pour into the pitcher.

• ‍Lastly, to the pitcher, add the vanilla extract, granulated sugar and cashew milk. If you’ve made my breakfast smoothie before (which I highly recommend), you’ll know about my love for cashew milk. Especially in this recipe, it adds an extra level of creamy nutty delight – plus it’s low calorie!

Simply serve over ice and garnish with a dash of cinnamon if you’d like! Invite your friends over for this one, they’ll love it. If you'd like to make this an adult beverage, add a splash of Baileys!

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Watch the how-to video on IG!

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Equipment needed:

• Large bowl
• Plastic wrap
• Strainer
• Blender
• Cheese cloth