1 cup long-grain white rice

1/4 cup raw almonds

1 cinnamon stick, or 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup white sugar

7 cups cold fresh water (4 cups to blend rice, 3 cups added after)

ground cinnamon to garnish, optional

Put all ingredients in blender, using only half of the water.

Blend until ingredients finely ground, ~1 minute?

Add rest of water

Let stand 4+ hours on countertop or overnight in the the fridge.

Strain with 2-3 sheets of cheesecloth

Chill

Ordered List ItemOnce blended, let sit overnight before straining, if possible. This way the water has plenty of time to leach out the goodness from the rice and almonds. The four-hour method does work, but you don't get quite the same flavor. Along the same lines, many horchata “experts” actually prefer to not blend immediately, but rather let the mixture sit overnight to soften, before blending the next day. If you like how this comes out, feel free to experiment, and test for yourself.