1 cup sugar
8 cups water
2 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 Mexican cinnamon stick (approx. 3 inches long)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange, plus additional orange for garnish
Ground cinnamon, for garnish

1. Combine sugar and water in a large, sealable container or pitcher and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the rice and cinnamon stick and refrigerate overnight.

2. The following day, remove the container from the refrigerator and stir in the vanilla and orange zest and juice.

3. Transfer the liquid mixture to a blender and process to a fine purée. (You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your blender.) Strain the purée through a fine sieve.

4. Serve the horchata over ice in glasses garnished with orange wheels or slices and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

Servings: 9. Serving size: 8 ounces. Per serving: 93 calories, 0.11 g protein, 0.01 g fat, 23.91 g carbohydrates, 0.11 g dietary fiber, 8 mg sodium, 23.37 g sugars, 0 mg cholesterol

Cook’s Tip:

Use a Mexican cinnamon stick because it grinds up more easily in the blender.