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National Horchata Day

Drink · September 24

Horchata is a sweet, milky rice drink with cinnamon, served cold and loved at taquerias and kitchens across the United States.

National Horchata Day falls on Friday, September 24, 2027. That is 332 days away.

Horchata is a pale, creamy drink usually made by soaking rice in water, blending it, straining it and sweetening the result. Cinnamon is the usual spice, and some cooks add vanilla or a splash of milk. It is served cold, often over a lot of ice.

The version most Americans know comes from Mexican cooking, where it is one of the aguas frescas, the light drinks ladled from big glass jars at taquerias and markets. In Spain, horchata is a different drink made from tiger nuts, small tubers that give it an earthier flavor. Both share the name and the cool, milky look.

The taste is gentle. It is sweet without being heavy, with cinnamon doing most of the talking. That makes it a natural partner for spicy food, since it softens the heat between bites of a salsa-heavy taco.

Making it at home takes patience more than skill. The rice needs a long soak, often overnight, before it blends smoothly. A fine strainer or a cloth helps catch the grit, and the drink keeps for a few days in the fridge. It tends to settle, so a stir before pouring brings it back together.

Horchata also turns up in other forms now, flavoring coffee drinks, ice pops and cakes. The plain glass with a dusting of cinnamon on top is still the version people come back to.

Ways to celebrate

• Try making horchata at home with rice, cinnamon and an overnight soak.
• Order a glass with lunch at a local taqueria.
• Compare Mexican rice horchata with Spanish tiger nut horchata.
• Freeze leftover horchata into ice pops.
• Share your family's horchata recipe with a friend.

Dates

All national days on September 24

Also on September 24

• National Cherries Jubilee Day
• Bluebird of Happiness Day
• National Punctuation Day

Categories: Drink days