Horchatas and Plum Bistro

This weekend I discovered horchatas. This weekend changed my life. If you've never tried a horchata before, here's what you need to know:

• it's an amazing sweet, cinnamon-y, and creamy beverage
• the traditional version is made with rice milk (thus, dairy-free!)
• it originated in Spain, but is now popular all throughout Latin America

I tried it at Plum Bistro and loved it enough to come home and immediately make a batch of my own. I've been drinking it every day since. Other horchata recipes that I've found tell you to make the rice milk from scratch. This sounds like a great idea, but I went ahead and used pre-made rice milk. Other recipes also call for sugar, but my preference is agave. You be the judge. Here's how to make your own little cup of heaven:

Serves 2.

2 cups rice milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup almonds
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs agave (or to taste)

Blend the rice milk, almonds, and cinnamon together. Strain using a nut milk bag. Add the agave and vanilla extract. Serve over ice.

And, before we get too far off the subject, I highly recommend you check out Plum Bistro on Capitol Hill. We went for brunch and had a fabulous meal of Mexican Tacos, Biscuits in Chili Chorizo Gravy, and Sweet Potato Fries covered with fresh aioli. The restaurant itself is beautiful and no one can complain about a 100% vegan and mostly organic menu. Happy Summer!