• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk; reduce by half for a mildly sweet drink
• 1 cup whole milk
• 5 cups hot water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, to taste

In a mixing bowl, add the rice, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon sticks. Pour hot water into mixture and stir until the sweetened condensed milk dissolves. Allow mixture to come to room temperature. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then refrigerate the mixture for a minimum of 2 hours. I recommend refrigerating overnight for a more concentrated flavor. Uncover the mixture. Remove the cinnamon sticks and discard. Strain the mixture to separate the rice. Reserve the liquid. Add the rice and 1 1/2 cups of the strained liquid to your blender. Blend for 3 minutes until the rice is liquefied. Strain the blended rice back into the reserved liquid. Check to make sure that the rice has been completely liquefied. There shouldn’t be any bits of rice remaining in the strainer. If there is, blend the horchata mixture again. Serve over ice with a sprinkle of cinnamon. You can garnish each glass with a cinnamon stick, if you like, for a posher presentation. For the adults: Turn horchata into a grownup alcoholic beverage by adding half a shot of your favorite rum or vodka to each glass. It’s great with a splash of Kahlua® too.