Go to the Recipe: Clarified Milk-Washed Punch
How far ahead can this be made and maintain a good flavor? I've seen some recipes recommend aging it for a month or two...
Hey Grant - its great to see you excited again! Keep putting out the great content.
Jay, we have a few jars that we put away a month ago in the fridge here for some after work drinks, it's still super tasty.
Could you spin it in a Spinzall after the milk wash instead of the filter?
You absolutely could - do you have one?!
Thanks so much - so good to be back!
Yes! I have made batches that sat for months - they are amazing. This formula is amazing fresh but can certainly be aged for any amount of time - in the fridge.
Yes I do. I know what I am doing Friday!
What is the basis for the "the milk-washing process helps to preserve the punch, which means a big batch can sit in your fridge for a long time"? Maybe removing more the easily oxidized molecules?
Interesting that the leftover pineapple is so delicious! My batched house cocktail is a spin on the Stoli Doli (Ciroc, pineapple, ginger, lemongrass, chili, Sichuan peppercorns, egg whites = the "Foli Doli"), and after infusing for 7 days the leftover pineapple is bitter and inedible. I guess by then I've sucked all the goodness out if it, and despite what you would imagine, it doesn't end up tasting like the cocktail it is soaking in.
I do too, totally trying it! Would love to see what you can do with a spinzall
Half of the citrus juice was reserved for the washing process, which means 191.5g lemon and 96g lime. If you want to "repeat step 6" to get ultra clear punch, do you add another set of citrus juice? Or just add more milk and no additional citrus?
Food chemistry question for lactards like myself, presumably similar to curdling milk, all of the lactose stays inside the punch? Would it be wiser to add the lactase enzyme drops in the milk before the wash, or into the punch after the wash?
Or does some process already break down the lactose in the final punch?
Hi Grant, good to see you back!
Can you milk wash things like tequila or vodka for other spirit based cocktails. If so what ratios would I use?
Hey Kelvie! Check out the tip under number 6, let us know if that answers it for you!
I had a couple of questions -
How strong is the anise flavor in this? I (and most of the people I'm planning on serving this too) aren't huge anise fans, not in our booze either, could I just swap the pernod for more rum, bourbon, or vodka? Or is it subtle enough especially after the wash?
Second, pineapples are not easy to come by, definitely not nice good ones, when it's not peak season - would canned be a legit alternative or would it just be better to leave out or substitute with pineapple juice?
Ok, I made it and I spun it in the Spinzall, very nice, lovey taste. I spun it twice first was at 150 ml per min, then 75 ml per min, mud was heavy on the first run. My yield was 4500 ml or so with tasting!!!! About 90 of spin time for both. Left over pineapple will be made in to ice cream, and the lemon and limes will be candied.
It is deceptive- your guest will not notice any anise because the mouth feel of this cocktail is outrageous. I did the strain 3 times. It is a very dangerous drink.
Anybody find any uses for the left over curdled milk? I was thinking of using it in some frozen application like a boozy milkshake with kahlua.
Ok. So I found a pineapple, but I don't think I'm going to buy a while bottle of pernod just for half a cup or so... I might substitute it for Ouzo or Arak (much easier to find around here)... We'll see how it comes out I guess?
Hi @Nick Paulson, You don’t need to add more citrus juice, just add more milk and repeat the washing process for ultra-clear punch. Cheers!
What do you mean in the instructions shown below regarding the reserving half of the citrus juice for later? I dont see why I am saving the juice and where I am to then use it?
“Mix the specified amount of citrus juice (reserve half for later), green tea, white rum, dark rum, Pernod, bourbon, Angostura bitters, and sliced pineapple into a large, non-reactive container such as a Cambro or stainless-steel pot.”
Step 6.
I don't see any tip under 6, or anything regarding lactose. Which tip were you talking about?
Yes, @M Spurrier. You can use whole milk.
You can milk wash any spirit, Haydn.
Hi @Kelvie Wong, We recommend adding any enzymes in the end if desired—and assume that none of the lactose “breaks down” during the process.
Hi Sam,
@Richard Fine is correct. The reserved citrus juice is added in Step 6. I have edited the recipe to clarify the instructions. Thanks for the heads-up that it wasn’t clear.
Should you use skim milk, or is there some reason we need the milk fats which likely will stay in the drink?
Recipe for a milk washed negroni like Grant mentions at the end of the video? It doesn't seem that difficult to adapt from the above technique and a standard negroni recipe, but there isn't anything acidic in a standard negroni, so should I plan to add some lemon juice to ensure that the milk curdles adequately?
OMG! What a devilishly smooth drink! YUM YUM.. I washed it twice and it came out crystal clear. Thank you so much for sharing your secret about Milk Wash. My husband favorite part was the leftover pineapple. He kept eating it as if it was candy.
When pouring through the after the 2nd time do you clean or replace the filter, or pour back through the curds from the 1st pour?
Hi dave, Great question! Go ahead and pour back through the curds from the first pour. The curds and sediment will continue to clarify the punch.
Hi @Nicholas Anderson, The alcohol in the Negroni will curdle the milk, so no need to add lemon juice.
Hi Josh, Grant has used 2% and whole milk and they both worked fine. The punch is smooth-tasting and clear—no evidence of lingering milk fats.
So in the video grant says a bottle each of the dark and light rum but each 750ml bottle only weighs out to like 710g whereas the recipe calls for 907g. Is that a mistake or do I need to add more rum? Currently the whole thing is sitting for its overnight rest. Thanks!
I assume sitting out not refrigerated overnight...
We let it sit in the fridge, but either way works great. Also, the measurements on the formula above are correct for what we tested, but you are right that Grant mentions to use one bottle of each. I will update and scale the formula to work for 1 bottle of each, but you can also do that with the scaling function above to match an individual item’s weight for future reference.
Thanks for the heads-up, Michael. We will adjust the recipe. You can refrigerate the pineapple/rum mixture or leave it sitting out overnight—either way is fine.
I'm a bit confused about the idea of running it through a second milk wash. While the curds are strained out, the first milk wash still dilutes the punch with the whey and all 'non-curd' milk, which I assume is accounted for in the recipe. Wouldn't adding another batch of milk further dilute the punch pretty drastically, as well as changing the flavor balance?
Am I missing something?
Before the second optional wash it is a pretty potent cocktail to begin with. It definitely holds up in flavor and strength with that second wash.
Will be making this tomorrow. I'm confused about the milk heating step; I've milk-washed many a cocktail (mostly via recipes from the glorious Dave Arnold), and have never heated the milk before adding booze and curdling with acid. What's the purpose of heating the milk?
in our trials it showed that we had more of the milk cuddle, creating more of a raft and more filtration. essentially it helps the yield.
This came out tasting excellent and fairly straightforward to make - better than the Cooks Illustrated Ruby Milk Punch (which was also very good). My only complaint was that it was a hassle to make without having a plethora of very large containers and a large strainer setup.
The instructions say to brew 18g of tea in 400g of water, but the final measurement is 137g. Are we only using 137g of the 418g brew, or should we be brewing 18g in 137g of water?
Not gonna lie, this was pretty epic, both in terms of prep and results! There was none left at the end of Christmas cocktails.
I was going to ask a similar thing @Grant Lee Crilly - most milk punch recipes I see use whole milk. Any difference or benefit in terms of mouthfeel or clarification from choosing whole milk vs 2%? Is the milk mostly there for the casein and milk sugar (therefore fat doesn't matter as much)?
I followed the recipe literally and brewed 18g of tea in 400g of water, then measured out 137g of the brewed liquid and added it to my cocktail. It turned out great! I just threw the rest of the brew out as I didn't have a need for the rest of it and it was too strong of a brew for me to just drink.
yep that's it Derek
Does washing the cocktail lower the alcohol content?
It does since you are adding a liquid that has no alcohol content. It is still a very potent cocktail.
@Lorraine Esterling was wondering how much milk should be used in milk washing a Negroni? IE what is the ratio of milk thanks!
Grant, I saw you mentioned something about milk washing the negroni? what would be the ratio of liquid to milk to be used and also do i need to add any citrus thanks
Is it possible to use Whole Milk instead of 2%? If so, what mass should I use for it?
Is there a specific ratio of milk to spirit? Do you need to add any acid? (I've read that you can add citric acid, but I don't know how much)
Made it at Christmas and now, stuck at home (#badcovid19).. Made a batch- Also did Mary Rockets's punch .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1Alkctc1Vk&t=268s
Is it possible to milk-wash non-alcoholic drinks e.g. citrus juice?
Since the units are in G and bottles of alcohol are in ML, anyone find the best conversion so I know how many bottles of each alcohol to buy? I.e. is 750ML of rum enough to satisfy 710g, etc.? Thanks!
Hi Lorraine. Any chance of some ratios for a Negroni? What’s the cocktail-to-milk ratio? Do we add tea? How much? Thankie!
we did a 28-30% ratio of milk to the liquid of the punch. start with that and you should have some good results.. stick to the recipe of your favorite Negroni. you might have to make some adjustments.
HI Jason, we set it up so that the 710g is what the full 750ml bottle weights! so at least those are full bottles.
How long will the end mixture stay good for? Since I'm quarantined I'd love to make it last but don't want it to go to waste.
Anyway to make this for 1? Just me drinking and no visitors anytime soon.
Is it possible to use spoiled or near spoiled milk? Or will it impart a sour flavor? Just trying to make use of everything and eliminate food waste.
we have a jar in the fridge from 7 months ago... its still tasty
nope. 80% of that spoiled milk is staying in your cocktail.
Hi Kyl! Just checking then, for the second wash, I use another 861g of 2% milk?
that's what we did. but you can do less if you want.
How can I store this after it’s made on the shelf or in the fridge?
best to keep it in the fridge for long term storage. Also no big deal for it to sit out for the day. more than that I would keep it cold to preserve the freshness of the citrus and whey.
I ended up with the Pernod with absinthe will that still work
ohh yea, they are super similar.
Are the spice amounts correct? 0.47g of coriander seeds seems like such a small amount.
they are super light and pack a punch, it will be more than you think, but a little more won't hurt.
Did you find Mary's to be too sweet? Beverage director thought it was because the original recipe was written for very different citrus than we use today.
I didn’t catch on and used all the tea liquid. I wish the recipe was more specific in the instructions.
