*theme music plays*
Today, we're gonna make a clarified milk punch,
which dates all the way back to the 1700s and is now having a bit of a resurgence.
Here, the milk is used in a really interesting technique called milk washing,
where we're actually going to curdle the milk using an acid from lemon juice.
Then we're gonna strain out those curds and we'll be left with a very smooth, rich, delicious punch.
Now, I know the idea of curdling milk in a cocktail just sounds gross, but stay with me. It's worth it, I promise.
We're gonna make a black tea-port-milk punch, and start by taking a large glass bowl and adding 1 cup or 235 mL of whole milk.
Then, in a separate glass pitcher we're gonna add 1/3 cup or about 75 mL of fresh lemon juice.
Next, we need some brewed black tea.
Here I'm using an English breakfast, but use your favorite black tea and we're gonna add 2 cups or about 470 mL into the pitcher.
Next, we need some port, which is a rich, fortified wine.
Here we're using Ruby port, and we're gonna add 2/3 cups or about 150 mL to the pitcher.
Now, for our spirit we're gonna be using something called Batavia Arrack,
which is a funky, molasses-based liquor from Indonesia.
If you don't have this, feel free to use a light rum.
Again, we're gonna add 2/3 cup or 150 mL.
Next, we need some sugar; a little over 1/3 cup or 85 grams.
Give that a stir to dissolve the sugar,
and meanwhile this milk has just been sitting over there in the corner, not really contributing anything to society...
So let's get a reaction out of it.
Pour about a third of the tea mixture into the milk and give it a slow stir,
and pretty soon you'll start to see the milk break into these small curdles.
Let's cut to the Curdle Cam and see what's really happening here.
The acidity of the lemon juice is causing the casein proteins of the milk to coagulate,
And when they do this, they also pick up some of the astringent-tasting tannins of the black teas and other things that generally make the punch cloudy
After we strain these out, the whey proteins of the milk will be left behind, which will give the drink a lot of body and richness.
Let this rest for at least 30 minutes, although some people even let it rest for up to 24 hours.
And here we can see some separation between the curds and the rest of the punch.
Alright, let's get these gross curds out of there.
So grab a large container and a fine mesh bag.
Here, I'm using a nut milk bag, but you can also use something like a cheese cloth.
Then you're gonna pour it through the cloth, and it's still gonna be a bit cloudy;
here we're just trying to collect the curds into the bottom of the cloth.
Pour the strained punch into a pitcher and we're gonna run it through again.
Make sure to keep the curds in the bag from the first pass,
and carefully pour the punch through the curds to use them as another filter.
And then finally, run it once or twice through a coffee filter to just collect any of the last remaining bits of cloudiness
Then we're gonna transfer it to a sealable bottle, and just look at how beautiful that punch is.
Remember, this was almost black from the tea and the port, and with the tannins stripped away,
this almost looks more like a rosé.
Store this in the fridge, and it pretty much will never go bad.
When you're ready to serve, grab a rocks glass, throw in a big ol' ice cube...
Aaand we're gonna have to slow this down a bit.
When serving clarified milk punch, it would be wrong to use any ice besides perfectly-clear ice.
I'll put a link in the description on how to make that.
You want that cube to basically disappear into the drink.
Now, is this necessary? No, but it does look pretty sexy.
Alright, I'm getting thirsty. Let's give this a taste.
Cheers!
...And wow, the flavor here is unbelievable:
The astringency you normally get from tea is completely gone,
and you're left with this full-bodied, rich strength that is dangerously smooth.
I highly recommend it!
Thanks for watching, guys!
So, if you're doing any shopping right now for gifts for the home bartender,
I've put together an Amazon shopping list of recommended equipment, books, and other fun gadgets for this holiday season.
Buying through this page doesn't cost you any extra and it actually helps support the channel a little bit.
So if you're doing any shopping, I'll put a link in the description and on the screen.
Cheers!