Resbaladera
A refreshing Guanacaste drink of toasted rice and barley blended with milk, cinnamon, and vanilla, then strained silky-smooth — a Costa Rican cousin of horchata, served cold over ice.
Ingredients
- 1 cupwhite rice
- 1/2 cupbarley
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cupswater
- 2 cupsmilk
- 1 cancondensed milk (or sugar to taste)
- 1 tspvanilla
- ground cinnamon (to serve)
Instructions
- 1
Lightly toast the rice and barley in a dry pan until fragrant and just golden — this adds a nutty depth.
- 2
Soak the toasted grains with a cinnamon stick in the water for several hours or overnight to soften.
- 3
Blend the soaked grains with their soaking water until very smooth.
- 4
Strain thoroughly through a fine sieve or cloth, pressing to extract all the liquid and leaving the gritty solids behind — straining well is the secret to a silky drink.
- 5
Stir in the milk, condensed milk (or sugar), and vanilla. Chill and serve over ice, dusted with ground cinnamon.
Notes
Don't skip the toasting or the straining — they're what make resbaladera smooth and aromatic rather than gritty. Adjust sweetness and thickness with milk to taste. A Guanacaste specialty, especially welcome in the dry-season heat. Photo: Adobe Stock (#526224243), licensed.
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