A traditional Mexican rice-based drink flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. This creamy, sweet, and refreshing beverage is a staple at taquerías and Mexican restaurants. The rice is soaked overnight, then blended with water, sweetened, and strained to create a smooth, milk-like drink that pairs perfectly with spicy foods.
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Place the long grain white rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold running water until the water runs clear, about 1-2 minutes.
Combine the rinsed long-grain white rice, cinnamon stick, and 2 cups of water in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a lid, and let soak at room temperature for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight for best flavor extraction.
After soaking is complete, remove and discard the cinnamon stick from the soaked rice and water mixture.
Transfer the soaked white rice with its soaking liquid to a blender and blend on high speed for 2-3 minutes until the long grain rice is completely pulverized and the mixture is very smooth and milky white.
Set a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth over a large pitcher and pour the blended rice mixture through it, pressing with a spoon or squeezing the cheesecloth to extract all the liquid and leaving the rice solids behind.
Add the remaining 3 cups of water, white sugar, vanilla extract, and evaporated milk if using to the strained rice milk in the pitcher, stirring vigorously until the sugar dissolves completely.
Taste the horchata and adjust sweetness by adding more sugar if desired, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours until thoroughly chilled.
Stir the chilled horchata well before serving as some settling may occur during refrigeration, then pour over ice in tall glasses and sprinkle with ground cinnamon if desired.
