Secret Ingredient: Horchata

It’s time to rethink horchata. For decades, the sweetened rice-and-nut milk has been trickling into the United States through scattered taquerias and Latin American grocery stores. Now, it’s appearing at restaurants all over the South—and not just alongside tacos and tortas, either. From the Mason-Dixon line to the Mexican border, chefs and bartenders are dishing out horchata-soaked desserts and blending the nutty beverage into rich and pearly cocktails.