Horchata (Chilled Almond Drink) is a traditional Spanish recipe for a classic drink of almond milk flavoured with lemon juice that's served over ice. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Spanish version of: Chilled Almond Drink (Horchata).
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It was the Moors who originally brought this drink to Spain. Originally it was made from a blend of pine nuts, seeds and chufas (tiger nuts). Though a form of horchata made with tiger nuts is still prepared in Spain (see the recipe for Horchata de Chufas (Tiger Nug Millk)) this version, made from almond milk is by far the most common today. This is typically served chilled and originally, snow gathered from the Pyrenees would have been used as the chilling agent.
Ingredients:
500g blanched almonds, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon (freshly squeezed)
crushed ice, to serve
ground cinnamon, for dusting
Method:
Combine the almonds and 250ml water in a blender and grind as finely as possible. Pour into a jug or bowl, then pour over 625ml boiling water.
Set the mixture aside to infuse for several hours, or until completely cold. Strain through a fine-meshed nylon sieve into a bowl, pressing the liquid through with the back of a spoon.
Stir in the lemon juice, then pour into a freezer-proof container. Freeze for about 1 hour, or until crystals begin to form around the edges. Stir well to break up the ice then pour into tall glasses. Top each one with a scoop of crushed ice and serve with a dusting of ground cinnamon.
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