Heat 4 cups of water until hot, then add to a blender with the rice and blend until the rice is coarsely ground.
Add the cinnamon sticks and blend again. Refrigerate mixture for at least 8 hours. (I place the lid on the blender and store this mixture in the fridge in the blender.)
Add the mixture back into the blender and blend again until smooth.
Line a colander with cheesecloth, or a fine mesh sieve, and strain liquid into a large pitcher. Discard any leftover rice. Strain the mixture twice to ensure maximum smoothness.
Stir in the remaining water, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Stir or shake well before serving. Serve over ice with a little extra ground cinnamon on top, if desired.
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container or jar for up to 5 days, or possibly even longer – it depends on the freshness of your dairy, the temperature of your refrigerator, and other factors. Be sure to toss it if it seems “off” at all – whether there’s an odd smell or a slimy texture. Shake or stir well before serving, as some separation may occur. Freezing is not recommended as it can alter the texture and flavor.
Whole Milk: If you don’t want to use evaporated milk, you can use whole milk instead. You will need to use 4 cups of milk to replace the evaporated milk, and be sure to reduce the amount of water to 5 cups.
White Rice: What kind of rice should you use? Any plain white rice is fine (long grain, jasmine, etc.). Just don’t use instant or quick rice.
Chocolate Horchata: Change this up by adding a tablet of chocolate Abuelita! Blend it well, and strain with the rice.
4-Hour Horchata: Blending the rice for a bit and using hot water makes it possible to enjoy this horchata sooner than usual – you can check it at about 4 hours and see if it’s creamy enough for your liking. However, I really think it’s best when given 8 hours to soak.