I have been reading about Clarified Milk Punch. Images of these crystal-clear punches have been popping up in my Insta-feed. I keep reading recipes. Searching for the best way to make one. What they’re supposed to taste like. The science behind it. Well, I walked into O’Neal’s on Monday and I said to myself- “I can make that.” And so, I did. It was quite a process. And I’m not sure if I did it correctly or not. So, I tried it again today, this time with a different punch base and a better understanding of how the science behind it works.
To explain this process as simply as possible, you make a delicious concoction of flavors- tea, sweeteners, fruit juices, spices, booze and lemon juice. Then you add whole milk or heavy cream and let it all sit for about 30 minutes. And then you start straining the liquid to remove the milk solids. And you strain it again and again and again until the magic moment when the cloudy, murky liquid is suddenly translucent! Then serve over ice and marvel in your creation.
- My first attempt involved-
- -Churchill’s Fine Teas Lemon Drops
- -Honey-Simple Syrup
- -Lemon Juice
- -Jim Beam
- –Cardenal Mendoza Angelus Liqueur
- -Heavy Cream
This finally strained into a golden-translucent liquid. It has a very delicate, but decisively one-note flavor, which is: Lemon. It’s smooth, with a slightly creamy mouthfeel and a definite lemon flavor (without the mouth-puckering tartness) and a hint of orange and bourbon.
I’m absolutely not unhappy with how my first attempt turned out.
- Attempt #2-
- -Churchill’s Fine Teas Hot Cincinnati Spice
- -Simple Syrup
- -Fresh Orange Juice
- -Lemon Juice
- -Jim Beam
- – Cardenal Mendoza Angelus Liqueur
- -Half and Half
I followed the same procedure of mixing everything (except the Half and Half) together in a large glass bowl. Then I added the Half and Half, covered the bowl and let it sit 24 hours untouched. Just like the first time the dairy immediately curdled. It. Looked. Disgusting. But hey, sometimes you gotta get ugly before your beauty can shine through. And this, it was a SERIOUS glow-up!
Yup, it curdled 
Pretty Gross. 
Keep Straining 
It’s almost clear!
This time when I strained the concoction, I did so into another large glass bowl with a large strainer lined with a coffee filter. OMG, it was so much faster than my first attempt! After the first strain it was SO clear. 2 more goes, once through my super fine tea strainer and it was good to go! Let it chill and serve over a giant ice cube with an orange and lemon wedge and enjoy.
The science behind this Clarified Milk Punch is still blowing my mind… I’m looking forward to playing around with it more. Maybe a Gingerbread Milk Punch. Or a Candy Cane Milk Punch. The possibilities are endless… keep an eye out for more #sippableexperiments