Been making variations on Jerry Thomas’ California Milk Punch since last June.
Most recent variation executed in my home state of Wisconsin for a New Year’s gathering with some friends.
‘Sconnie Milk Punch
6 Lemons
4 Cara Cara Oranges
1 bottle Korbel VSOP
1 bottle Appleton V/X
1/2 bottle Batavia Arrack von Osten
4 bags Twinnings Darjeeling Tea
2 1/2 cups water
3 cups Natural Cane Sugar
1 stick Cinnamon
4 Whole Cloves
4 Allspice Berries
1 pint Whole Milk
Peel 4 lemons and 4 oranges. Combine Brandy, Rum, and Batavia Arrack. Add strained juice of 4 oranges and 4 lemons. Steep citrus peel in booze mixture for 48 hours.
Heat water and add spices and sugar. When it is at a simmer, remove from heat and add tea bags for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and cool.
Remove peels from booze, remove spices from syrup. Combine. Add juice 2 more lemons. Scald milk mixture and add to booze and citrus base. Allow to stand for 25 minutes without disturbing. Filter milk solids off through fine strainer or cheese cloth. Allow to stand overnight in a cool area. Remove clear punch from settled out solids. Makes about 3 quarts.
Chill well and serve by combining with equal parts fizzy water.
Without some of my usual spices and pineapple, this was a little more citrus heavy than other versions. Still, quite tasty.
Described by Rich, “Tastes like Orangina, but kicks your ass.”
Got a question regarding the Rum Hibiscus Milk Punch.
Hey brother!
I’d like to ask you about Rum Hibiscus Milk Punch. I made it exactly according to the recipe, but it came out cloudy.
Has this ever happened to you?
Do you think the milk wasn’t curdled enough? I let it sit for 40 minutes. Does the fact that it was pasteurized make a difference?
Do you think it might have been the strainer I used? What type do you use? I used a fine mesh strainer, then even put cheescloth layers inside. Didn’t help. It’s as cloudy as a louched absinthe, but no visible sediment or clumps.
Do you think it’s still good to drink? Any other ideas to save it?
hmm….
The Milk step can be finicky.
The punch should be fine, though I would keep it in the fridge.
I put it first through a fine mesh strainer, then through cheese cloth. Then after it sits for a couple days when the remaining milk solids settle out, I rack it off.
I haven’t played around with commercial vs. less commercial milk. I always use the straus family creamery whole milk. My guess is the problem might be homogenization, not pasteurization. Straus Family don’t homogenize their milk.
When I make milk punches, the milk solids and fats always fall out of solution after a couple days, leaving it quite clear. This may not happen as readily with homogenized milk.
Continuing with my series of photos deemed “too dark” or “poorly composed” for tastespotting.
Le Sigh. I will attempt to move on from my bitter, bitter disappointment at having all my photo submissions rejected by tastespotting. If they don’t want them, so be it.
This is a follow up to the Rum Hibiscus Milk Punch post of a few days ago.
The general consensus is Drink’s Rum Hibiscus Milk Punch is very tasty. It’s ridiculously drinkable.
Almost no one can identify the dairy character before being told the “secret ingredient”. After being told they are usually able to identify the slight lactic acid tang and smell. My boss at work thought we should make it for the week that sommeliers gather in San Francisco for some exam, just to screw with them. “Looks like Rose Wine, tastes like, uh, delicious punch.” “But can you tell us the secret ingredient?”
About all I’d say is I get a bit tired of it after a couple glasses. It’s complex, but kind of unidirectional. I think it would be significantly improved by using a Rum with more character than the El Dorado White. Maybe the Barbancourt White, some portion of White Rhum Agricole, or even Wray & Nephew Overproof.
A friend, and coworker, of mine recently wrote about a curdled milk experiment of hers on this post: Whey
Being, uh, a competitive sort, I couldn’t let this sort of thing go unchallenged.
Well, not really.
I’d read these sorts of “Milk Punch” recipes for a long time now, and always wanted to try one. I just didn’t know if they were good or just weird.
I’d also recently read on Lauren Clarke’s blog, (Milk Punch,) that bartenders at Drink in Boston (well, Fort Point,) were experimenting with a Hibiscus Milk Punch. Frederic from Cocktail Virgin Slut also recently wrote up Milk Punches on their post: Hibiscus White Rum Milk Punch
With all these people making Milk Punches, there’s no way I could not experiment with one. I more or less followed the recipe from Drink.
1 bottle (750 ml.) White Demerara Rum
Pared rind of 1 orange
Pared rind of 2 lemons
1/4 cup tablespoon dried Hibiscus Flowers (Also called “Jamaica” or “Sorrel”. Available at Latin American and Caribbean stores.)
1 1/2 cup 2-1 Simple Syrup made from Natural Cane Sugar
1 cup fresh Lime juice, strained
2 cups Straus Farms Whole Milk
1/2 stick Mexican Cinnamon, crushed
4 whole Cloves, crushed
Place citrus peels in rum for 24 hours. Add Hibiscus flowers and let sit for another 24 hours.
Add cinnamon and cloves to Milk and heat to 180 degrees.
Strain citrus peels and hibiscus out of rum.
Add sugar syrup and lime juice to rum.
Add heated milk to rum and let stand until it curdles (1/2 hour or so).
Set a strainer over stainless container and line with layers of cheese cloth. Strain mixture through cheesecloth and then bottle in a clean container. I am not sure what to do with the curdled milk solids. It is more or less boozy, sweet, cottage cheese.
The next day, more milk solids will likely settle out.
Pour the clear liquid off, leaving the solids behind. Strain through a coffee filter or similar and bottle. The resulting liquid will be pretty clear and look more or less like Rose Wine. The recipe makes a bit more than a liter of punch.
The folks at Drink suggest serving this in a small sherry type glass.
