Clarified Milk Punch

  • Level: Intermediate
  • Yield: 1 quart
  • Total: 10 days 3 hr (includes steeping, cooling, standing and filtering times)
  • Active: 40 min
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Ingredients

8 Earl Grey tea bags

85 grams granulated sugar 

1 cup ruby port 

4 fluid ounces aged dark rum (not spiced) 

2 fluid ounces Allspice Dram, recipe follows

2 fluid ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice 

1 cup whole milk 

Allspice Dram:

1/2 cup allspice berries

2 1/2 cups navy-strength rum

200 grams granulated sugar 

Directions

Special equipment:
quart-sized glass jars; electric kettle (optional); large sieve; commercial-sized coffee filter; glass pitcher; 4-quart container; fine-mesh sieve
  1. Heat 2 1/4 cups of water to 208 degrees F. If you have an electric kettle with a temperature setting, great. If not, bring the water to a boil in a saucepan, kill the heat and count to 20. Pour the water over the teabags into a quart vessel and steep 3 minutes before removing the bags. (Do not wring out or squeeze the bags.)
  2. Add the sugar to the hot tea and stir to dissolve. Then add the port, rum, Allspice Dram, and lemon juice. Cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
  3. Pour the milk into a glass pitcher and then follow with the tea mixture. (Yes, it will curdle.) Park on counter for 1 hour. Do not shake, stir or molest in any way. Just let the magic happen. Oh, and make sure the tea goes into the milk, not the other way around.
  4. Line a large, fine-mesh sieve with a commercial-sized coffee filter (we like those made for 1.5-gallon machines) and strain the mixture into a wide, 4-quart container. Once completely filtered, typically about 1 hour, transfer to a quart jar or pitcher and chill to serve. (See Cook's Note.)
  5. Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Allspice Dram:

  1. Heat a heavy skillet over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Toast the allspice berries until fragrant, about 1 minute, then roughly crush.
  2. Combine the rum and crushed allspice berries in a quart-sized glass jar, seal the lid tightly and give it a good shake. Steep for 10 days.
  3. Strain the allspice-infused rum through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan and add the sugar. Heat over low, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature before storing in a glass jar or bottle.
  4. Note: Any overproof rum will work here, meaning any rum over 50 percent ABV. But navy-strength rum, typically bottled at 57 percent ABV, is my favorite. Just remember: The higher the ABV of the rum, the higher the ABV of your resulting dram.

Cook’s Note

I know it seems like a lot of containers here, but the punch needs to strain into a container large enough to securely hold the sieve, and such a vessel would be too wide to serve from…except for maybe a punch bowl, which is tough to get into the fridge.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Anonymous

A few notes on this recipe:<br /><br />1. Using the amount of ruby port specified consistently gives me a much deeper red than is depicted here or in Alton Brown's website. Color-wise, I've gotten a similar color only by drastically reducing the volume or ruby port.<br />2. Mixing *all* of the other ingredients and pouring *into* the milk are critical steps in this technique. Mixing the port in afterwards, for example, will result in a less clear beverage. Pouring the milk into the other ingredients will result in a beverage that doesn't come out nearly as clear after filtering.<br />3. I found that letting it sit overnight versus an hour before filtering results in a clearer beverage.<br />4. If you didn't get the clarity you want, try leaving it in the refrigerator for a few days or a week. This beverage will continue to settle over time.<br /><br />In the end is a delicious beverage.

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