Virgin Honey Lavender Milk Punch
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When it comes to Milk Punch, there are two styles: the New Orleans style that’s made with rum, brandy and whole milk or cream, and the clarified version sometimes referred to as English Milk Punch that dates back a few centuries.
Ben Franklin even had his own recipe.
You’ll need the following equipment:
Ingredients:
Whole Milk
Lemon Juice
Honey
I have been making milk punch for 6 years now, and when I make it, I always keep it sans alcohol. I like the ability to try out different spirits, and like the versatility of having it as a base that I can mix differently for other people depending on their tastes. However, if you are planning on adding any brown spirit, I do recommend adding it before filtering to achieve the clearest punch.
The method I use to make milk punch I learned from Eamon Rockey while I was a bartender at Betony in NYC. Milk punch is made by separating the curds from the whey by using an acid. The curds or proteins form a filter to draw out tannins and pigment from the flavoring agents. The whey adds a luscious creamy mouthfeel to the drink.
You need at least 3 ingredients to make a milk punch: the first ingredient of course is Milk - I use whole milk here, but you can use half and half, cream or goats’ milk. I have a vegan milk punch recipe that uses coconut milk. The higher the fat content, the creamier your milk punch will be, but it’s also harder to break the emulsion when the fat content is higher, so I recommend using whole milk.
Second, you need an acid- this is usually in the form of citrus, but I have used vinegar in my watermelon feta milk punch that also uses goat’s milk. Basically, any acid that has a pH of 4.1 or lower will work.
And lastly you need some type of tea or an ingredient with a tannic structure to give the punch some grip and body.
For this milk punch, I am going to keep it pretty basic and use lemon juice, lavender tea, earl grey tea, honey and milk. In place of an alcoholic spirit, I will be making the cocktail with Seedlip Grove 42, which is like a citrusy, gingery nonalcoholic spirit. This recipe will yield a quart of milk punch.
I am going to start by brewing the tea.
Since the earl grey and the lavender tea have the same brewing time, I’m going to add them both to my French press.
I’m adding 6 teaspoons of lavender tea, and two teaspoons of earl grey.
Then I’m just going to add three cups of boiling water and let this steep for 5 minutes- its ok if this over steeps, once its filtered through the curds, it will lose its astringency.
While the tea is brewing, I’m going to juice my lemons over a fine mesh sieve to catch any seeds- Lemon has a pH of 2, so you don’t need that much to break the milk emulsion. For this recipe I’m using a half cup of lemon juice.
I am using a cup and a half of milk for this recipe. Heat the whole milk in a saucepan over low heat. Once it begins to simmer a bit on the sides, whisk the milk vigorously. This is going to keep the milk from scalding. Once the milk starts to rise and gets really foamy, turn off the heat, and add the citrus while continuing to whisk- this will ensure none of the curds will be too large. Small curds will give you a higher yield and will clarify faster because the punch will have better drainage.
When the curds are too large, it makes it much harder for the punch to filter through and the punch just kind of sits on top of the curds. Now add the brewed tea. You do not need to stir to incorporate the tea. The longer you let the milk punch rest, the easier it will be to clarify. For this particular milk punch, it doesn’t need to rest as long as most since the ingredients are minimal and light colored. I let the punch sit until its room temperature and then begin to strain it.
Before I strain the milk punch, I’m adding 2 ounces of honey syrup to the mixture. I usually like to add sweeteners afterwards, but since honey is pretty dark, I like to add it add this stage.
To make honey syrup, just add a little hot water to honey- you only need a little bit of water to loosen the honey. I start with just a splash of hot water, just to loosen it a bit.
To strain the milk punch, I am using a nut milk bag, but I’ve done this through (clean) old t-shirts or tablecloths and have had great success anything with a tight weave will work. You will also need something to catch the punch, I like to use a wide shallow bowl- you might want to have 2 on hand so that you can swap them out while cycling the punch through. I also like to have a measuring cup or something that is easy to pour the contents of the bowl into, to make it easier to pour through the curds. It also helps to slowly steam in the punch, that way you aren’t jostling the curds and forcing them through the bag which would make your punch cloudy. You do not have to wait till all the milk punch has gone through to cycle it through again,
I just keep an eye on what’s dripping out of the bag and as soon as it looks clear, I swap the bowls and pass the punch through the bag again. Since I was using fairly light-colored ingredients, I only needed to do two passes before it was crystal clear.
Now the punch just needs to chill in the fridge. Since this milk punch is not stabilized with any alcohol, it won’t last as long in the fridge, but it should be good for at least a week before any sediment forms at the bottom, or the milk punch begins to ferment.
For the cocktail I’m going to add two and a half ounces of the milk punch base to a mixing glass. I’m going to follow the milk punch with just a touch of simple syrup- just a quarter ounce as the honey syrup has already sweetened it a little. And lastly, I’ll add an ounce and a half of the Seedlip Grove nonalcoholic spirit, which will boost the lemon flavor and add some nice ginger spice that plays nicely with the honey and lavender notes.
All that’s left is to add the ice and give it a quick stir until it is well chilled. I’m going to serve this over a large ice cube in a rocks glass and garnish with a lavender sprig.
While this drink looks simply, it’s so complex and fragrant. The milk lends such a silky-smooth texture, while the lemon and Seedlip bring a nice citrusy element. It’s really a stunning drink- you definitely won’t miss the alcohol with this one.
Remember you can always swap the seedlip with whichever clear spirit you’d like. What is great about making this alcohol free, is that it’s easy to freeze, so you can have milk punch whenever you want! Milk punch is great to have on hand for any parties or any time you’d like to have a batch cocktail at the ready. It’s a great conversation starter and of course, a delicious drink.
Honey Lavender Milk Punch Base:
1.5 cups of milk
1 cup lavender tea
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 oz honey syrup
Method:
Heat milk over low heat in a saucepan until it begins to simmer. Stir vigorously until the milk becomes foamy, then turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, lavender tea, earl grey tea and honey syrup.
Let the punch rest for 1 hour and filter through a nut milk or fine weave material filter, continuing to cycle the punch through until it becomes clear. Store in the fridge up to 1 week. To extend the shelf life, add a few ounces of vodka, or to keep it nonalcoholic, freeze in an ice cube tray for a non-alcoholic milk punch any time!
For Honey Lavender Milk Punch Cocktail:
2.5 oz Milk Punch
.25 oz Simple Syrup
1.5 oz Seedlip Grove
Lavender Sprig for garnish
Method:
Mix all ingredients with ice in a mixing glass for 20- 30 seconds. Strain over a large ice cube into a rocks glass and garnish with a lavender sprig.
