Name: Billy Dawson's Milk Punch
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 1 cup whole milk; ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (4 ounces) demerara sugar; 1 ounce lemon zest strips (from 2 lemons); 1 cup boiling water; 1¼ cups rum; ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons brandy; ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons porter or stout; ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 2 tablespoons Batavia arrack

Why This Recipe Works

Don’t be fooled by the name of this recipe—it’s not milky and creamy like a White Russian. Rather it’s a punch that gets clarified by adding it to milk and letting the milk curdle. That may sound gross but trust us—the end result is silky smooth and as clear as a glass of chardonnay.

In classic English form this punch combines both brandy and rum with, oddly enough, some dark beer like porter or stout and richly flavored demerara sugar. It’s spirit-forward (a real drinker’s drink) and would feel right at home in a snifter sitting on a mahogany desk surrounded by leather bound books (I think you know what I’m talking about). The original recipe, which we’ve adapted here, comes from David Wondrich’s book Punch, and is not classically milk clarified. My milk-clarified version is full-bodied, amber-hued, and smooth. You still taste the brandy and the molasses-y demerara, but there are no rough edges to keep it from going down easy.

Before You Begin

Use all the zest from the lemon. Take wide, shallow swipes of zest with a vegetable peeler, trying your best to avoid any of the unpleasantly bitter white pith that sits just below. Use an aged amber rum in this recipe. Batavia Arrack is a classic punch liquor fermented from sugarcane and a small amount of rice. It is far funkier than most rums, but if you can’t find it, rum can be substituted. The best coffee filter for the job is a large basket-style filter. When the rum-milk mixture is draining, don’t push or press the liquid through the filter—let it slowly drain through and you’ll get the clearest punch possible. Milk punch can be refrigerated for up to a month.

Instructions

Place milk in 8-cup liquid measuring cup or large pitcher; set aside. Combine sugar and zest strips in 4-cup liquid measuring cup or large bowl. Using back of ladle, gently muddle zest and sugar until oil releases from zest and sugar starts to look wet and clumpy, 45 to 60 seconds. Add boiling water and whisk to dissolve sugar. Whisk in rum, brandy, porter, lemon juice, and Batavia Arrack.

Pour rum mixture into milk. Gently stir curds with small spoon. Let sit for at least 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Line fine-mesh strainer with triple layer of cheesecloth or coffee filter and set over large measuring cup or bowl. Gently pour rum-milk mixture into coffee filter and let drain. Drain strained punch mixture through curds in coffee filter one more time. Discard curds and coffee filter. Transfer clarified punch to lidded glass container and refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, pour ¼ cup to 3/8 cup chilled punch into small glass.