Master The Classics: Clarified Milk Punch

There are conflicting stories about who exactly created Clarified Milk Punch. Some say it was Courtesan and wit Aphra Behn, the first woman to make a living solely from writing. And some say it was a housewife named Mary Rockett. But even though the stories of who differ what most cocktail historians can agree on is that it was created sometime in 1711. Eighteenth Century England was full of harsh liquor and refrigeration wasn't a thing that existed yet, so the process of clarification was a pretty genius way to solve both those problems. The first recorded recipe (attributed to Mary Rockett) called for 2 gallons of Hot Milk to which we add a gallon of Brandy, Five quarts of water, eight lemons and two pounds of sugar. Let the mixture sit for an hour then strain into a flannel bag. The result is a silky smooth shelf-stable tipple that could last for months, even years (when stored properly). No refrigeration necessary. It is said that when Charles Dickens died, the people going through his effects found eight bottles of Clarified Milk Punch in his wine cellar.

The recipe I teach here was based on an old 1700's recipe which I modified slightly. I also forgot to mention that this drink can be served hot or cold.

This is the last of our Holiday drinks. I hope your holiday season has been safe, fun and happy and we here at the Educated Barfly want to wish you guys a very happy New Year! We sincerely hope you enjoy this Large Format Cocktail/Punch. It is well worth it and something you can store for a while. So bottoms up and enjoy!

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A Note on this drink: I halved the recipe so double this recipe for a full Batch punch for about 10 people. Also it has been brought to my attention that I botched the mils on the lemon juice, the correct mils are 177ml.

Here's The Specs:

Oleo-Saccharum from 3 Lemons
2 Cups (480ml) Demerara Rum
1 Cup (240ml) Cognac
4 Cups (960ml) Warm Milk
3/4 Cup (177ml) Lemon Juice
1 Cup (240ml) Turbinado Simple Syrup

For Turbinado Simple Syrup:
Dissolve 1 pound of turbinado sugar (about 2 1/4 cups) in 3 cups hot water.

Here's The Benjamin Franklin Recipe from a letter written in 1763:

Take 6 quarts of Brandy and the rinds of 44 Lemons pared very thin; Steep the Rinds in the Brandy 24 hours; then strain it off. Put to it 4 Quarts of Water, 4 large Nutmegs grated, 2 quarts of Lemon juice, 2 pounds of double refined sugar. When the sugar is dissolv'd boil 3 quarts of Milk and put to rest hot as you take it off the fire, and stir it about. Let stand 2 hours; then run it thro' a Jelly-Bag till it is clear; then bottle it off.

Follow Directions as above.

[mattjanzen]

Bar manager here.
America's Test Kitchen and my own experimentation might offer some tips (last is most important):

Use cold milk (3.25%/whole milk is best) - encourages smaller curds/clearer results

Pour the cocktail into the milk rather than the other way around - encourages smaller curds/clearer results

Curdle chilled, up to a few days if you have the time - encourages early flocculation (like cold crashing in brewing)/clearer results, better fridge stability

Filter cold - discourages milk fats from melting and passing through the filter/clearer results

Use cheesecloth or a nut milk bag and RESERVE the curds that form as a "nest" in the bottom, then use this nest as an extra fine filter for a second pass - much clearer results in less time and with less mess. Just be sure not to disturb the nest or over-fill.

[SenanByrneVine]

For coffee filters, rinse it with hot water as they can have a papery taste from them! Also, a good tip is to fold in the edges of the filter so it fits into the v60 snug and doesn’t move or fold when pouring.

[RB]

why did you do it so complicated?
use cold milk and it will curdle up the same. pour the mix in the milk, not the other way around to get finer cudles. use only the coffeefilter method, but that twice. it's easier, faster and the result is better.

[EmanuelC-fx]

I actually really enjoy these older videos. I’ve been watching your video for a long time. But these older ones specially when people first start we can see the entire process that people usually cut in the video. Makes it so we don’t really have any questions

[andrewgraesser]

Thank you Barfly! My girlfriend and I have been looking for this recipe ever since we tried a clarified goat's milk punch in Vancouver. All the bars down here in Seattle thought we were crazy talking about a milk punch.

[endlesswaltz]

I’m loving the color of the milk punch once it’s in your glass. Lovely. Great job!!

[raymondwilliams]

Getting ready to make my first batch! The booze is bought. The vessels cleaned. The Oleo Saccharum is in the fridge... saccharuming. But a question about the milk: Is it worth going above and beyond and getting really fancy milk (small farm, organic, grass fed, hipster milk) or will an everyday milk found at a convenience store yield the same result?

[butterthyme]

I made a milk lunch at my old bar for almost two years and it is an incredible undertaking but always worth it.

[fwayd]

May I get a list of the books you have in the back and also books that you recommend for an up and coming intermediate bartender/mixologist please??

[patriciojoseponcepuerto]

Hello guys I have been trying to make clarified milk punch and some of them have worked but others just wont pass through the filter and I don't understand why, I did a whisky sour with 2oz whisky, 1 oz lemon, 1 oz syrup and 1 oz cold whole milk, and after 5 hours i had like 1 oz of cloudy liquid, plese any help or hints or anything I did wrong would be greatly appreciated

[shawnpage]

I’ve watched this video too many times to count and I’ve been thinking. Have you ever considered making a Clarified Milk Punch with Mr. Black? Just the concept of it is stuck in my head.

[Samthelegend]

I’ve made many milk punches and you definitely have to add the booze to the milk not the other way around

[sandyhightower]

We had this in New Orleans at the Empire bar at Broussards and I am excited to recreate the magic of what I had there

[Swindellium]

Hi! I was wondering where the coffee filter thingy could be purchased. I couldn’t find it in the show notes. I love this video btw.

[SanguineBrandon]

Interesting choice of ingredients, I'll check it out some day and report back

[vizzo]

what do you do with the filtered milk? can you boil it and use it?

[FaithlessLooter]

So I’m at the coffee filter phase and it’s still somewhat cloudy. It basically looks like a sidecar. What might I have done wrong? I tasted some though and it tastes amazing and nowhere near as alcoholic as it is.

[burrnarddog]

How many coffee filters did you go through for this batch?

[amykruse]

We wouldn't be able to drink a whole batch (or...shouldn't since it's two of us), so would I refrigerate after it is in Mason jars? Also how long to store?

[VinodKumar-qgjq]

Will definitely give this a shot - I’m confused about the oleo saccharum though. It looked like you had peels and sugar in the bowl. Wouldn’t you first create the OS like you did in the OS recipe video and then use the extracted sugar oil as the base of the lunch? Or can you just use the peels and sugar straight?