- Easy
- 250 min
- 2 serv.
- 1 synergies
- Now at its best: Honey
A creamy, lightly sweet drink made with soaked white rice, cinnamon and honey. A classic on Mexican tables, served ice cold with an extra pinch of cinnamon on the foam.
Horchata is one of those drinks that immediately feels like holiday. In Mexico it is sold everywhere in large glass jugs with ice, often next to a loaded taco or a plate of enchiladas. The colour is a light beige, the texture somewhere between a drink and a thin milk, and the aroma is carried entirely by the cinnamon that has been steeping for hours with the rice. The first sip gives the soft, sweet base of the rice, like a quiet background. Then the cinnamon steps forward, warm and round, with something almost like rice pudding about it. Honey slips through subtly and makes everything just sweet enough without turning sticky. Served with plenty of ice in a tall glass and an extra pinch of cinnamon on top, this drink suits a sunny afternoon in the garden just as well as a spicy meal, where the creaminess gently tames the sharpness of the chili.
- 10
- min prep
- 0
- min cook
- 250
- min total
Nutritional Synergies
This recipe combines ingredients that enhance each other:
Cinnamon sticks 
Honey Traditional warm combination of cinnamon and honey
Technical: Cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde and proanthocyanidins with bioactive action via cell wall disruption. Honey's glucose oxidase produces hydrogen peroxide with bioactive action, while honey's high viscosity forms a physical barrier. Two independent bioactive mechanisms that work more broadly together.
What does this mean for you? Cinnamon + honey in warm tea — a classic combination. Both have bioactive action via different pathways — broader together than alone.
Immune System
Ingredients (4)
+2 more ingredients
Instructions
- 1 Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear and place it in a large bowl with one cinnamon stick. Pour over 600ml of fresh water and soak for at least 4 hours (ideally overnight) in the fridge; the rice softens and releases its starch and the aroma of the cinnamon into the water.
- 2 Remove the cinnamon stick and set it aside for now. Pour the rice together with its soaking water into a powerful blender and blend on high for 1.5 to 2 minutes, until the rice is fully pulverised and the drink turns clearly creamy.
Nutrition per serving
Indicative values per serving.
Timing & Suitability
Shelf life: 3 days in fridge