Clarified Milk Punch is a drink that bartenders love to serve but hate to make—beloved, yet notoriously labor-intensive.
Popping up seemingly overnight on cocktail menus across the country in the mid-aughts, this drink has a history that dates back several centuries. In 1763, Benjamin Franklin sent his favorite Clarified Milk Punch recipe to a friend in a letter. The original recipe involved extensive ingredients and multiple steps, including straining the cocktail through a pillowcase. The drink remains nearly as labor-intensive now as it was then.
The “clarified” bit in its name refers to removing the solids in the milk by forcing it to curdle (by using heat, citrus, alcohol, or typically a combination of the three), and then filtering those solids out. The result is a cocktail with the creamy texture of milk, but one that’s completely clear (and also shelf-stable), making it an extremely unique and versatile addition to bar programs.
Marina Ferreira, beverage director at Botanica Art & Cocktails in San Diego, is a fan of Clarified Milk Punch even though the clarification process “can be challenging in the scientific sense, as well as in the flavor world.”
Ferreira’s version was inspired by a trip to one of the world’s most exciting emerging cocktail destinations. “I went to Mexico City for the first time last month,” Ferreira says, “and [Clarified Milk Punches] were all over menus.”
Ferreira’s Vegan Milk Punch recipe incorporates aged cachaça, oloroso sherry, and sarsaparilla bitters—and also happens to be vegan, as she’s employed coconut milk as the texture element.
In a container, combine the cachaça, simple syrup, sherry, lime juice, and coconut milk, give the mixture a delicate stir, and allow it to sit in the fridge overnight.
Once you see a little separation, strain the combination through a coffee filter into a container.
Pour the strained liquid into a rocks glass with a large cube, add a pinch of salt and three dashes of sarsaparilla bitters, and stir.
Garnish with a lime twist.
