Horchata

Wash and drain rice. Combine rice with cinnamon sticks and water and soak overnight in the refrigerator.

After the rice has soaked for at least 8-10 hours, preferably overnight, discard the cinnamon sticks and pour rice and water into a blender. Add the ground cinnamon and blend on low for 3-5 minutes until well blended. Pour blended rice mixture through a fine mesh sieve two times and then through cheesecloth one more time to remove all the gritty bits of rice.

Pour strained mixture into a pitcher, add milk, brown sugar and vanilla and stir well to combine. Add more sugar if needed, to taste.

To serve, pour over ice and garnish with ground cinnamon, if desired.

Enjoy!