Almond Horchata
Gracias Madre
West Hollywood, Calif.
Gracias Madre, a plant-based Mexican restaurant in the West Hollywood section of Los Angeles, offers a large selection of drinks made with vegan ingredients. For this authentic horchata, the kitchen grinds almonds in-house and soaks them in water, using dates to sweeten the mixture. Vanilla and cinnamon add another layer of flavor.
Ingredients
¾ cup raw almonds
3 dates
Sea salt
Filtered water
1½ cups fresh water
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Ice cubes
Steps
1. In medium bowl, combine almonds and dates. Sprinkle with a generous shake of sea salt. Cover mixture with filtered water until completely submerged. Let stand on countertop for 1 hour.
2. Strain out nuts and dates; discard soaking water. In blender, blend soaked nuts and dates with 1 1/2 cups fresh water, cinnamon, vanilla and a pinch more salt until very smooth. Serve over ice, if desired.
Photo courtesy of Almond Board of California