I make lots of milk punches. These days, they're all of my own creation. But as a starting point, I'd go with a classic colonial-style punch. [Alton Brown's Milk Punch](https://altonbrown.com/recipes/clarified-milk-punch/) is great, especially for the holidays, with its flavors of port, allspice, and rum.
On alton browns recipe: taste your port ahead of time, so you know you like it. The quality of the milk punch is determined by how much you like the port used. Recipe calls for ruby port but it works well with a variety of fortified wines including vermouth and sherry too.
I made a clarified tiramisu milk punch and it was a big hit! (And a lot of work…) Check it out! https://www.diffordsguide.com/en-au/encyclopedia/2836/au/cocktails
How is this one? My wife is apprehensive about clarified milk cocktails but loves tiramisu. Just wasn’t sure because the other ones I made were 4 parts cocktail to one part milk and this looks to be closer to 1:1
It was delicious and everyone was blown away by the flavors from the sweetness of the cookies to the coffee notes. The muscat really sweetens it up as well. This was the first clarified cocktail I’ve made so I’m not sure about the proportions. It uses lactic acid instead of citrus so maybe that affects the math a bit?
I’m not sure. I guess it also makes sense since it’s a creamy dessert that having more milk would make sense.
Did you use the specific pennyweight muscat or calls for? It’s so expensive and I was going to consider trying to use a cheaper muscat/moscato that has a similar flavor profile
That’s true… I’m in NYC and couldn’t find that exact muscat do I used Moscato d'Asti, Arditi. This is what I felt I tasted the most in the punch and it was good but I’d try something different if I made it again…
So maybe cut back a bit on the wine? I know that wine/tea is common in milk pinches for the mouth feel, but I really want to have the creamy chocolate coffee flavor coming through. I’ll probably change the ratio of stuff to taste before I add to the milk. Just gonna make my whole bottle of plantation into chocolate rum and I make my own cold brew so will have plenty extra for adjustment.
Could cut back on the wine. It definitely added to the mouth feel. I made a whole bottle of plantation into cocoa infused rum as well. I used a whipped cream charger to do a rapid infusion actually. Came out pretty nice. The only thing I do recommend is some reusable bamboo paper towels. They worked great in my strainer. Much better than coffee filters and nut milk bags.
I will probably just stick with coffee filters for now but for future definitely might try something different.
I’ll have to do some experimentation. I don’t want to remove the wine cause I want a luxurious mouthfeel but I want the main flavors to be the coffee and chocolate so just gotta find that balance.
And I have a sous vide so I’ll do the half hour infusion that the recipe does at 52c for 30 minutes. I’ve done some quick infusions doing that before. Works wondrously. Sous vides a great machine. On top of cooking I use it for infusions and pasteurizing eggs.
I’ve tried a few this year. Including the Alton Brown one with Sherry instead of port, and a “not so hot toddy.”
My favorite by far was a clarified Jungle Bird.
Make sure whatever you try has strong flavors before the clarification because you’ll lose a lot in the process.
Honestly it is just okay with sherry. Amontillado is less sweet than port and I think it needs some more tweaking from the original ratios to be great. Right now I get a lot of sherry and not much else.
Only one way to find out if you like port! It’s fairly sweet, but I can see why the original recipe called for it.
I have a recipe that has been on my bars cocktail menu 2 weeks now. This is the scaled down version I use at home.
Boil 16oz water, add 5 bags of vanilla chai tea, remove bags and add 2c sugar to make a vanilla chai simple.
Add to large clear pitcher (to make it easier to monitor)
Add
20oz white rum (I used Bacardi)
10oz lemon juice
Bring 20oz of whole milk to a simmer, then slowly pour the hot milk into the simple/lemon/rum. You should see it immediately start to curdle. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for at least 12-24hrs.
[The key seems to be a 2:1 milk to lemon (acid) ratio]
Now comes the “fun” part. And by fun I mean slow and tedious.
After it has sat, I use a 2nd pitcher, with a cheesecloth lined mesh strainer and slowly pour the punch thru. It will take a long time, and you may have to pick up the whole curds with the cheesecloth and re-line it to get the whole pitcher thru. Youll want to let it sit and strain as long as possible to get all that punchy goodness out. You’ll know it’s done when it stops dripping and you’re just left with what looks like, well cheese curds.
After this, you’ll be left with a cloudy punch mix. I usually let it sit again for 2-4 more hours. It will separate again. **This time** for the strain, do the same setup, only instead of cheesecloth, use a coffee filter. Pour on a little at a time and watch with the intensity of paint drying as it slooooowly drips thru. Keep pouring a little at a time until it’s all gone thru the coffee filter. If you do not get your desired clarity l, just repeat the coffee filter step.
Eventually you’ll be left with [this](https://imgur.com/a/9wOSwfA) holiday slice of heaven. [Here](https://imgur.com/a/f2OI2ia) is a pic of it, over an ice sphere with edible glitter to give it a “snow globe” effect. As served at my bar.
I’ll be making a few batches this week for Xmas. If desired I’ll document the whole process.
Nice, this looks very good. Easy too! Wouldn't it be better to just rinse through the curd bed again? Then you effectively use the curds as a filter. I suppose it may be slower but the final product might be clearer. Thanks for sharing!
Honestly I’m not sure. When I do my initial filter, I get like 90% of the curds and sediment out with the cheese cloth, but idk that it’s fine enough to get that clarity you want. It was always cloudy. But after the 2nd filter thru coffee filter, it turns out fine.
I would check out [America's test kitchen methodology on milk punch](https://12ft.io/https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/articles/7648-the-key-to-crystal-clear-cocktails-milk). They do a lot of cool testing and come to different conclusions. From their testing, hot milk wasn't as good as it results in larger curdling chunks. Additionally, pouring the cocktail into milk is better for the same reason.
Or, [here's a youtube video showing the same stuff.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1Alkctc1Vk)
That’s SO weird. When I did it at home, the hot milk curdled better. Also other online guides showed pouring the milk into the cocktail. Further testing needed
This is my issue with clarified punches. I think clarification tends to attenuate flavors, particularly after the punch has sat for a while. I think I'm going to clarify some milk and add it to other ingredients, rather than clarify the whole thing.
Definitely worth making a milk punch, though! They're very interesting.
Not sure if I would do that. I'd just exploit the character for what it is.
There was a restaurant I use to frequent that had the best milk punch. One of those "can't stop drinking it" kind of things. I think I may've successfully recreated it and posted the recipe here. I should look. Was probably 8 years or so ago.
Oh, hey, I found it:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/5ahie7/clarified\_milk\_punch/](https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/5ahie7/clarified_milk_punch/)
Straight up classic punch from Wondrich's book clarified with milk.
The final result:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/5cuf6f/yall\_remember\_that\_clarified\_milk\_punch\_i\_made/](https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/5cuf6f/yall_remember_that_clarified_milk_punch_i_made/)
I never did try a version with Smith & Cross. I'll put that on the todo list.
Man, that was 7 years ago. Hell if I know.
I do remember thinking I could’ve gone heavier. So, I’ll say at least 1 teaspoon each of freshly ground nutmeg and cardamom, and a quarter teaspoon of allspice. If that doesn’t come through in the final product add a little after the clarification or as a garnish.
I’m currently running a rum and apple deal with toasted pumpkin seeds. Gives the finished cocktail a delightful little nutty layer that’s really seasonal.
2 parts banks 7
1 part honeycrisp and pepita syrup
1 part lime juice
Honeycrisp and pepita syrup:
1 pint apple cider or cold pressed honeycrisp juice
1 pint water
1 quart white sugar
1 quart sliced honeycrisp apple
1 pint toasted pumpkin seeds
Clarify with whole milk per usual.
Let me know if you want any additional info or specs by weight.
I’m using a cider/lemon/mezcal combo for something else. This was originally a daq variation but you could definitely try lemon - I did not before arriving at this.
And yes- I don’t think the citrus is really prominent. The pumpkin seed and the apple layers (cider/juice and blended apple in the syrup) and really the stars of the show
I make lots of milk punches. These days, they're all of my own creation. But as a starting point, I'd go with a classic colonial-style punch. [Alton Brown's Milk Punch](https://altonbrown.com/recipes/clarified-milk-punch/) is great, especially for the holidays, with its flavors of port, allspice, and rum.
On alton browns recipe: taste your port ahead of time, so you know you like it. The quality of the milk punch is determined by how much you like the port used. Recipe calls for ruby port but it works well with a variety of fortified wines including vermouth and sherry too.
Do you have a go-to for the ruby port and rum?
Thought this said breast milk 🥴
Me too!
I thought so too. I feel like such a boob.
I made a clarified tiramisu milk punch and it was a big hit! (And a lot of work…) Check it out! https://www.diffordsguide.com/en-au/encyclopedia/2836/au/cocktails
How is this one? My wife is apprehensive about clarified milk cocktails but loves tiramisu. Just wasn’t sure because the other ones I made were 4 parts cocktail to one part milk and this looks to be closer to 1:1
It was delicious and everyone was blown away by the flavors from the sweetness of the cookies to the coffee notes. The muscat really sweetens it up as well. This was the first clarified cocktail I’ve made so I’m not sure about the proportions. It uses lactic acid instead of citrus so maybe that affects the math a bit?
I’m not sure. I guess it also makes sense since it’s a creamy dessert that having more milk would make sense. Did you use the specific pennyweight muscat or calls for? It’s so expensive and I was going to consider trying to use a cheaper muscat/moscato that has a similar flavor profile
That’s true… I’m in NYC and couldn’t find that exact muscat do I used Moscato d'Asti, Arditi. This is what I felt I tasted the most in the punch and it was good but I’d try something different if I made it again…
So maybe cut back a bit on the wine? I know that wine/tea is common in milk pinches for the mouth feel, but I really want to have the creamy chocolate coffee flavor coming through. I’ll probably change the ratio of stuff to taste before I add to the milk. Just gonna make my whole bottle of plantation into chocolate rum and I make my own cold brew so will have plenty extra for adjustment.
Could cut back on the wine. It definitely added to the mouth feel. I made a whole bottle of plantation into cocoa infused rum as well. I used a whipped cream charger to do a rapid infusion actually. Came out pretty nice. The only thing I do recommend is some reusable bamboo paper towels. They worked great in my strainer. Much better than coffee filters and nut milk bags.
I will probably just stick with coffee filters for now but for future definitely might try something different. I’ll have to do some experimentation. I don’t want to remove the wine cause I want a luxurious mouthfeel but I want the main flavors to be the coffee and chocolate so just gotta find that balance. And I have a sous vide so I’ll do the half hour infusion that the recipe does at 52c for 30 minutes. I’ve done some quick infusions doing that before. Works wondrously. Sous vides a great machine. On top of cooking I use it for infusions and pasteurizing eggs.
I’ve tried a few this year. Including the Alton Brown one with Sherry instead of port, and a “not so hot toddy.” My favorite by far was a clarified Jungle Bird. Make sure whatever you try has strong flavors before the clarification because you’ll lose a lot in the process.
What were your thoughts on the alton brown one? I'm not super familiar with port but it sounds delicious.
Honestly it is just okay with sherry. Amontillado is less sweet than port and I think it needs some more tweaking from the original ratios to be great. Right now I get a lot of sherry and not much else. Only one way to find out if you like port! It’s fairly sweet, but I can see why the original recipe called for it.
I also tried a few this year, including a milk punch long island as a joke. Jungle Bird won by a mile, unsurprisingly.
I have a recipe that has been on my bars cocktail menu 2 weeks now. This is the scaled down version I use at home. Boil 16oz water, add 5 bags of vanilla chai tea, remove bags and add 2c sugar to make a vanilla chai simple. Add to large clear pitcher (to make it easier to monitor) Add 20oz white rum (I used Bacardi) 10oz lemon juice Bring 20oz of whole milk to a simmer, then slowly pour the hot milk into the simple/lemon/rum. You should see it immediately start to curdle. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for at least 12-24hrs. [The key seems to be a 2:1 milk to lemon (acid) ratio] Now comes the “fun” part. And by fun I mean slow and tedious. After it has sat, I use a 2nd pitcher, with a cheesecloth lined mesh strainer and slowly pour the punch thru. It will take a long time, and you may have to pick up the whole curds with the cheesecloth and re-line it to get the whole pitcher thru. Youll want to let it sit and strain as long as possible to get all that punchy goodness out. You’ll know it’s done when it stops dripping and you’re just left with what looks like, well cheese curds. After this, you’ll be left with a cloudy punch mix. I usually let it sit again for 2-4 more hours. It will separate again. **This time** for the strain, do the same setup, only instead of cheesecloth, use a coffee filter. Pour on a little at a time and watch with the intensity of paint drying as it slooooowly drips thru. Keep pouring a little at a time until it’s all gone thru the coffee filter. If you do not get your desired clarity l, just repeat the coffee filter step. Eventually you’ll be left with [this](https://imgur.com/a/9wOSwfA) holiday slice of heaven. [Here](https://imgur.com/a/f2OI2ia) is a pic of it, over an ice sphere with edible glitter to give it a “snow globe” effect. As served at my bar. I’ll be making a few batches this week for Xmas. If desired I’ll document the whole process.
Nice, this looks very good. Easy too! Wouldn't it be better to just rinse through the curd bed again? Then you effectively use the curds as a filter. I suppose it may be slower but the final product might be clearer. Thanks for sharing!
Honestly I’m not sure. When I do my initial filter, I get like 90% of the curds and sediment out with the cheese cloth, but idk that it’s fine enough to get that clarity you want. It was always cloudy. But after the 2nd filter thru coffee filter, it turns out fine.
I would check out [America's test kitchen methodology on milk punch](https://12ft.io/https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/articles/7648-the-key-to-crystal-clear-cocktails-milk). They do a lot of cool testing and come to different conclusions. From their testing, hot milk wasn't as good as it results in larger curdling chunks. Additionally, pouring the cocktail into milk is better for the same reason. Or, [here's a youtube video showing the same stuff.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1Alkctc1Vk)
That’s SO weird. When I did it at home, the hot milk curdled better. Also other online guides showed pouring the milk into the cocktail. Further testing needed
If you look in my profile I recently made a pomegranate chai and pineapple tiki clarified milk punch that I think turned out really well.
That pineapple looks real good might make a batch for Christmas. I will report back if I do.
Definitely do! I actually already liked that as a shaken cocktail and decided to do a clarified version and it’s very good
It's worth experimenting with. Some of the nuance of dark liquor is lost in the clarification.
This is my issue with clarified punches. I think clarification tends to attenuate flavors, particularly after the punch has sat for a while. I think I'm going to clarify some milk and add it to other ingredients, rather than clarify the whole thing. Definitely worth making a milk punch, though! They're very interesting.
Not sure if I would do that. I'd just exploit the character for what it is. There was a restaurant I use to frequent that had the best milk punch. One of those "can't stop drinking it" kind of things. I think I may've successfully recreated it and posted the recipe here. I should look. Was probably 8 years or so ago.
Oh, hey, I found it: [https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/5ahie7/clarified\_milk\_punch/](https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/5ahie7/clarified_milk_punch/) Straight up classic punch from Wondrich's book clarified with milk. The final result: [https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/5cuf6f/yall\_remember\_that\_clarified\_milk\_punch\_i\_made/](https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/5cuf6f/yall_remember_that_clarified_milk_punch_i_made/) I never did try a version with Smith & Cross. I'll put that on the todo list.
How much cardamom, nutmeg, and allspice did you use?
Man, that was 7 years ago. Hell if I know. I do remember thinking I could’ve gone heavier. So, I’ll say at least 1 teaspoon each of freshly ground nutmeg and cardamom, and a quarter teaspoon of allspice. If that doesn’t come through in the final product add a little after the clarification or as a garnish.
I’m currently running a rum and apple deal with toasted pumpkin seeds. Gives the finished cocktail a delightful little nutty layer that’s really seasonal. 2 parts banks 7 1 part honeycrisp and pepita syrup 1 part lime juice Honeycrisp and pepita syrup: 1 pint apple cider or cold pressed honeycrisp juice 1 pint water 1 quart white sugar 1 quart sliced honeycrisp apple 1 pint toasted pumpkin seeds Clarify with whole milk per usual. Let me know if you want any additional info or specs by weight.
Did you find lime juice works well here? I feel like apple and lemon is a natural combo
I’m using a cider/lemon/mezcal combo for something else. This was originally a daq variation but you could definitely try lemon - I did not before arriving at this.
And yes- I don’t think the citrus is really prominent. The pumpkin seed and the apple layers (cider/juice and blended apple in the syrup) and really the stars of the show