English Milk Punch
After Benjamin Franklin's recipe, sent to James Bowdoin, 1763
English Milk Punch is cognac, lemon, sugar, water and nutmeg poured into hot milk, left to curdle, then strained until crystal clear. It is silky and bright, with soft spice, and it keeps for weeks in the fridge. A holiday batch to make ahead.
- GlassRocks
- MethodBuilt in the glass
- Ingredients6
- MakesMakes 8
One batch makes 8.
Directions
- Combine the cognac, lemon juice, water, simple syrup and nutmeg.
- Heat the milk until it just steams, then pour the punch into the milk. It will curdle, which is what you want.
- Let it rest for an hour, then strain through a coffee filter, pouring the first cloudy drops back through, until clear.
- Bottle and chill. Serve over one large cube.
ToolsJiggerRocks glass
Don't have these? Build a drink from your shelf →History
Milk punch dates to 17th- and 18th-century England, where the milk was used to clarify and preserve punch. Benjamin Franklin's recipe, sent to James Bowdoin in October 1763, survives at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Modern bartenders revived the method, and it led to today's clarified cocktails.
Making a batch? Scale it for a crowd, add dilution water, and see how many bottles to buy.
What you'll need to buy
Based on 750ml bottles (25.4 oz), rounded up.
Bottle math, generally
Batching dilution
When you batch, there's no ice melting in a shaker, so you add the water yourself: 18% for spirit-forward drinks, 25% for shaken ones.
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