"horchata" news and stories

Before we get into Happy Hour recipes for the celebrations this weekend, I wanted to draw attention to this non-alcoholic Mexican drink that admittedly sounded strange to me until I tried it - now I am hooked.

Though there are drinks under the name Horchata in other cultures, the Mexican version is made from blended rice. It looks (and even tastes) like a milky drink, but there is absolutely no dairy in the recipe. It is rumored that this drink helps to cure hangovers, so you may want to whip up a batch if you plan on indulging at all this weekend.

If you want to try the drink but don't want to go to all the effort of making it yourself, Rice Dream apparently makes a version that is already prepared, though I've never tasted that myself. You can find the full recipe after the jump.

I was pretty excited yesterday when I saw a carton of Rice Dream Horchata among all the other non-dairy products at my supermarket. Apparently the stuff was released last spring. It's no surprise that it's finally filtered down into the markets here in Florida. Now, I normally don't get excited over dairy substitutes, but I like horchata, and since the real stuff is often made with rice, I figured Rice Dream had a fair shot at making a good version. Really though, it just tastes like Rice Dream with cinnamon. Not that that's a bad thing. If you don't have a Hispanic market in your area and you're dyin' for some horchata, this will definitely suffice.

[Photo Nick Vagnoni]