It's not clear how much lime zest is getting added to the mixture prior to letting it sit overnight...
Horchata de Arroz con Almendras (Almond-Rice Drink)
The horchata originally came to Mexico via the Spaniards, who called it Agua— or horchata—de chufa and made it with tiger nuts. The tiger nut is not found in Mexico, but this recipe, shared with us by Fany Gerson, comes close to the original taste. Refreshing and not-too-sweet, this drink is surprisingly versatile.
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Credit: Anna Stockwell
INGREDIENTS
⅓ cup long grain rice1 1-inch piece Mexican cinnamon
2 1-inch strips lime or lemon zest plus grated lime zest, for garnish
1 cup whole blanched almonds, lightly toasted
1½ cup sugar
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put the rice in a blender or spice grinder and process until it's completely pulverized, with a flourlike texture. Transfer into a large container and add the cinnamon, lime zest, and almonds. Stir in 2 cups water, cover, and let sit overnight.2. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until as smooth as possible. Add 2 more cups of water, mix, and strain into a pitcher through a sieve or colander lined with damp cheesecloth, pouring carefully and slowly and pressing the solids with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. If you have lots of bits remaining in the cheesecloth, blend again with some of the strained liquid, then strain over the damp cheesecloths once again. Stir in the sugar and vanilla, then taste and add more sugar if you like. Serve over ice, garnished with fresh lime zest.
Ratings & Reviews (3)
Hi JAMESPHERMAN: it's 2 1-inch strips of lime or lemon zest that get added to the mixture prior to letting it sit overnight, and then the grated zest is just for garnish before serving.
Thanks for the quick response Saveur Team! I used this recipe to absolutely delicious results to make Desert Snow Punch! The reason I'm giving it 4/5 rather than the full 5 stars is that it was insanely time consuming. Granted I made 3x the recipe, but it took me hours to strain the entire smoothly-blended mixture at the end. Not that I can imagine an easier way to get such an authentic, rich, subtle result, but I wish I'd had an idea of how long it would take me to make when I started out.
Horchata de Arroz con Almendras (Almond-Rice Drink)
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