Chilled Horchata Latte

Chilled horchata latte

For those of you who may not be familiar, horchata is a popular drink among many Latin American countries. Essentially, it’s a sweet milky beverage made from several ground ingredients (almonds, sesame seeds, rice, peanuts, or tiger nuts). Every Latin country, household, restaurant or taqueria will have their own variation. I’ve created two versions of this recipe. One is more authentic and requires a bit more work, while the other is great if you’re short on time. Regardless, they both taste great.

Version 1: Authentic Horchata

Ingredients

1 cup long grain white rice

3/4 cup blanched almonds

1'' to 3'' piece of cinnamon stick

5 cups water

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Ice for serving

Ground cinnamon for garnish

For latte: 1 shot of espresso (or ½ cup of your favourite brewed coffee) per latte

Directions

1. Start by breaking up the cinnamon stick into smaller pieces. Place the pieces of cinnamon, along with the rice and almonds in a large bowl. To this add 4 cups of hot (but not boiling) water. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight so that the ingredients can fully soften.

2. Take the bowl out of the fridge and transfer the mixture into a blender until everything is smoothly blended. (Approximately 2-3 minutes)

3. Set a fine mesh strainer over a pitcher and pour in the mixture. Push on solids with a spatula or spoon to strain out as much liquid as possible. You want the liquid to be smooth and free of any particles. You can also use a cheesecloth to strain the liquid even further.

4. Next, add in the remaining cup of water, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and stir. If you just want horchata on it’s own, you may stop here. Simply serve with ice and cinnamon and enjoy! If not, set aside and proceed to the next step.

5. Prepare your latte by pouring the espresso (preferred) or coffee into a mug and set aside. Measure out 1 cup of the horchata and transfer it into a blender. Blend until frothy.

6. Remove from blender and pour into the mug that was set aside. Enjoy!

quick & Easy Cheat version

Ingredients

2 cup rice milk (I use Rice Dream original)

1 cup almond milk (original, not flavoured)

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp vanilla extract

ice for serving

for latte: 1 shot of espresso or ½ cup of your favourite brewed coffee per latte

optional: sweeten with stevia, agave or maple syrup to taste

Directions

1. Add the rice milk, almond milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract into a blender. Blend until frothy. At this point you may taste it and decide if you want to add in any sweetener.

2. If you just want horchata on it’s own, you may stop here. Simply serve with ice and cinnamon and you’re done! If not, set aside and proceed to the next step.

3. Prepare your latte by pouring the espresso (preferred) or coffee into a glass. Fill the remainder of the glass with the horchata (approx. 1 cup). Top with cinnamon and ice and enjoy!