Clarified Milk Punch
ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 1 quart
This traditional English tipple has been around for hundreds of years; no wonder both Benjamin Franklin and Charles Dickens were milk punch fan. When properly produced, the punch is perfectly clear, with a lovely ruby tint, and a velvety texture on the tongue. Why? Because we clarify it through milk which is curdled by the punch's acidity. The protein tangles of the curds filter out astringent-tasting compounds of the wine. Straining then removes the curds while leaving the silky smooth behind. And since it's only about 10 percent alcohol-by-volume, I say, drink on! Responsibly, of course. I know it seems like you’re using a lot of containers, 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.
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- 8 Earl Grey tea bags
- 1/4 cup plus 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup ruby port
- 4 fluid ounces aged dark rum (not spiced)
- 2 fluid ounces Allspice Dram
- 2 fluid ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup whole milk
Specialized Hardware
quart-sized glass jars
electric kettle (optional)
large sieve
commercial-sized coffee filter
glass pitcher
4-quart container
ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 1 quart
Procedure
- Heat 2 1/4 cups of water to 208°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.)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 note.)
- Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
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