Milk Punch Method

a guide to the craft

Milk Punch is alchemy. The final product is a transformation of initial ingredients, separate and distinct, into something new and singular. The following guide comes out of my experience behind the bar crafting seasonal milk punches. It can serve as a reference to create your own recipes and to master technique. I will be sure to post specific recipes in later newsletters, but here you can learn to create your own.

The Formula
(alcohol + sugar + acid) + milk + time + straining/clarification = milk punch

Casein and other milk proteins react with acid to form clumps which trap non-soluble particles from the liquid i.e. fruit particles like pectin which make juice cloudy, as well as harsh tasting polyphenols like tannins. The coagulated mixture is rested over time. Careful straining allows the clumps to form a net in the sieve trapping additional particles, but allows the whey or lactic acid from the milk to carry through along with the liquid resulting in a clarified and unified final product with a weighty, creamy mouth feel and a mellow taste. Milk punch has a shelf-life of years if properly filtered and kept in the fridge.

Introduction

Milk Punch is a technique rather than a recipe. The format is a blank slate to personalize with unusual flavor combinations, spirits, or seasonal ingredients. It is also one of the oldest forms of drinking spirits and has been popular since the early 1700s. Lately it has become trendy again and can be found on the menu of most cocktail bars. Milk Punch is particularly attractive for bartenders because it can be served quickly per order simply by stirring the pre-batch over ice to dilute first, or with a low enough ABV pouring it straight onto a large ice cube. All the work occurs behind the scenes. Let’s look at exactly how this is done.

1. Ratios

The most basic element which contributes to the success of any cocktail is balance and this is achieved by tweaking ingredient ratios. Early on I was taught by my mentor Carlos that all cocktails are essentially riffs of one of five basic cocktail ratios: the Manhattan, the Old Fashioned, the Daquiri, the Sidecar and the Martini. This concept needs its own post, or book, and I will surely revisit later. For now let’s say that a Milk Punch could be an adaptation of either the Daquiri or the Sidecar since both have an alcohol, sugar and acid component.

The number 1 rule in cocktail making with citrus juice or other acid is the sugar must always balance the acid. It is easiest to balance when you make a 1:1 sugar syrup by mixing 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 cup of hot water and stirring until the sugar dissolves. It is hard to work with loose granulated sugar when experimenting and bartenders never use it.  1 oz of 1:1 sugar syrup, or simple syrup, will balance 1 oz of fresh, strained lime or lemon juice. 

With this in mind, the basic cocktail ratio is a Daquiri which, depending on how strong you like it, can be 4:1:1 or 3:1:1 high proof alcohol to citrus to syrup.  I like mine strong and not too sour at 2 oz 40% rum, 0.5 oz lime, and 0.5 oz simple syrup (4:1:1). The lime can be adjusted to 0.75 oz or even 1 oz if you like it super tart (4:2:1).

Splitting the alcohol base between a high proof spirit and a liqueur is the Sidecar formula in which the citrus component is increased and the simple syrup decreased to balance for the sweet liqueur. I like my Sidecar with 1.5 oz 40% cognac, 0.5 oz orange liqueur, 0.75 lemon juice and 0.25 simple syrup (6:2:3:1).

To make your milk punch, a spirit, syrup, and citrus can be used in the proportions varying upon the Sidecar and the Daquiri. If you increase the amount of sweet, the citrus must be raised. Keep in mind these basic formulas when designing your milk punch. I would recommend making a single serving of the prototype before milk clarification to test before wasting a bigger batch.

The strategy is a little different when designing a milk punch. Directly appropriating the ratios for classic formulas will make milk punch with a high percentage of alcohol because the water normally added to the cocktail from shaking with ice is not included in the recipes. The dilution from shaking adds about 1 oz of water to these formulas. A standard cocktail will usually have at least a 1:1 ratio of alcohol to non-alcoholic ingredients when dilution from shaking or stirring is taken into account. We can solve this problem when designing our milk punch by either choosing to dilute our cocktail with juice or tea to at least a 1:1 ratio of alcohol to non-alcoholic ingredients, or keep the cocktail strong and dilute later by stirring on ice or adding soda before serving.

Diluted Earl Grey Milk Punch Prototype:
(poured directly chilled into glass)

Single Serving                                 Batched (x10)
2 oz gin                                       20 oz gin
0.75 oz lemon                                  7.5 oz lemon
0.5 simple syrup                               5 oz simple syrup 2oz earl grey tea                             20 oz earl grey tea

Undiluted Earl Grey Milk Punch Prototype:
(stirred or mixed with soda upon serving)

Single Serving                                Batched (x10)

2 oz earl grey tea infused gin                20 oz earl grey tea
0.75 oz lemon 7.5 oz lemon     
0.5 simple syrup                              5 oz simple syrup

2. Ingredients

If you pay attention to ratios and balance, you are free to play with spirits, liqueurs, aromatized wines, syrups, juice, citrus, bitters. The one rule I follow is that cocktails taste the most interesting for longer when harmonious flavors are combined with a surprising note, or “funk ingredient”, such as in the hypothetical combination of vodka, grape acid solution, chocolate syrup, and rosemary. The rosemary is a herbaceous, sharp pine or the “funk ingredient” that contrasts with the grape and earthy chocolate, but it will balance as long as the sweet, sour, spirit and dilution levels are in the right ratio. The reason why Tiki drinks taste better than a glass of gin and juice is because they rely on surprise to destabilize the balance pleasantly with ingredients like pimento dram, and falernum.  Without the pine note in this hypothetical combination of vodka, grape, and chocolate the cocktail might taste flat and dull as you continue to sip. Of course there is no easy shortcut to great drinks beyond trial and error. (I would love to hear your comments and questions about flavor combinations in the discussion section).

Note: Tannins

Milk clarification reduces astringent polyphenols like tannins by interacting with them and removing them from the solution. When using ingredients that have tannins like tea, whisky or red wine this effect must be considered. When brewing a tea or infusing a spirit with tea for a milk punch, brew it stronger than desired. My rule is two heaping teaspoons per cup of hot water or cup of spirit. When using an aged spirit that has woody notes, keep in mind that that oak quality will be mellowed in the final product. This is the beauty of milk punch. Chaotic flavors will be unified and reduced to some extent. Don’t afraid to be extra, and go heavy on the tannins.     

Note: Syrups

Syrups are a great way to add flavor elements to your cocktail. Remember to make them its 1:1 sugar to liquid, extra sugar is fine but not water. To make flavored syrup, brew a tea with any dried herb or spice, strain out the particles, and then pour tea onto equal volume of sugar and stir. With chunky fruit such as tamarind, blend water, sugar and fruit in a blender and strain. With fresh herbs, blanch first, blend with water and sugar, then strain. Infusions into spirit can also work but it can take more time and may result in a different flavor effect. I will post a more in depth exploration of syrups, infusions and teas soon.

3. Acid

To curdle a milk punch only a small percentage of acid is necessary, so the amount of citrus should be determined by cocktail balance. A variety of citrus fruit works including lemon, lime, grapefruit, and orange. Kiwi and pineapple can work also.

I love to use powdered acids as citrus substitutes because they are shelf stable, easy, cheap, and have a tartness that is cleaner and not juicy, which works well in some combinations. I have had success with citric acid (lemon), malic acid (lime) and tartaric acid (grape) which you can purchase in powdered form online or in gourmet specialty stores. My general rule is one teaspoon of powder per 100ml of water has a tartness level comparable to fresh squeezed lime or lemon.

4. Batching

Milk punch is never made as a single serving, but used to preserve large batches of a cocktail. Batching is a pretty simple exercise. Write out a single serving recipe of your cocktail first. Test it. Make sure it is balanced, and has big enough flavors to warrant the softening exercise of milk clarification. If not, add a funk ingredient or adjust the balance of existing ingredients. Adjust the written recipe. To batch multiply each ingredient by an integer such as 10.  Measure into a large vessel, stir and cover. Calculate the total volume of the entire batched cocktail by adding up the value for each ingredient. This will indicate the amount of milk required.

5. Milk

a.  Volume

I like to use a 4:1 ratio of cocktail to milk for more lactic acid/creaminess. This is not a precise value. Many bartenders would say they like a 6:1 ratio. I would go with the amount of milk you have on hand. If you have 1L of milk pour it all into a separate clean vessel that has a cover, even if it means a little more milk than necessary. This is the vessel that the entire milk punch will live in so make sure it’s big enough.

b.  Type

The type of milk you use is important because it has an effect on the size of curdles that form. The best curdles for straining are small curdles that occur throughout the mixture. For ideal curdles use 3.25% homogenized milk or whole milk, a happy medium between skim and cream. I have had success with coconut milk, but I found it a challenge to strain. I have a great recipe with high fat buttermilk, but blended down with equal parts whole milk. It’s said that goat milk or unpasteurized milk is the best milk, but I have not had an opportunity to test them. Let me know if you do.

c.  Temperature

According to the cocktail canon milk punches are made with hot milk, but it’s time to tear down the old institutions and say: superior milk punches are made with cold or room temperature milk! Spare the hassle, don’t heat the milk.

d.  Pouring

It is essential that you add the cocktail to the milk rather than the milk to the cocktail. In the latter case the milk will clump immediately upon contact preventing even distribution of curdles. Add the cocktail to the milk very slowly, possibly with a ladle, so as not to disturb the clumps that are forming. Try to pour the cocktail throughout and along the sides of the vessel so that as much of the milk is in contact with the cocktail as possible. Once all the cocktail has been added leave the mixture in a dark cool place or refrigerator with a cover on. Try not to shake or move the container too much so the curds are not disturbed.

6. Aging

If you have the luxury of time, age your milk punch twice. First, for a few hours when the cocktail is mixed before it is added to the milk. Then, once the cocktail is added to the milk, leave it for at least 24 hours in the fridge. For me the ideal time is 48 hours, and longer does not hurt. I have heard many bartenders and articles say they rest their milk punch for only an hour or two, but unless you are in a rush its not sufficient time to marry the flavors and create a truly decadent punch. That being said if you’re in a rush, 1-2 hours is fine.

7. Filtration

You cannot rush the filtration process. Opening up the lid of your milk punch to find a disgusting curdled mess you must trust that your ugly duckling will become a swan. Ideally use a good quality fine mesh strainer lined with double layered cheese cloth or nylon filter over a clean jar or bowl. These sieves can also replace both filter and strainer. Spoon some milk punch slowly onto the strainer set-up. It will run through quickly at first because the solid layer of curds will not yet have formed on the strainer. The curds themselves will provide the majority of the filtration. Once the curd nest forms and the stream turns into a slow drip, transfer your strainer and cheesecloth to another vessel. Pour the initial drippings through again for a second filtration since they will still be cloudy. For a clear punch the straining process will likely have to be repeated. The higher number of filtrations, the clearer the punch. Make sure to only transfer slowly one or two scoops of cocktail onto the cheesecloth at a time so the curd nest is not disturbed. Patience should result in a perfectly clear cocktail.