Martha Fooses Milk Punch Food

MILK PUNCH

Steps:

• Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool.
• Combine milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, bourbon, 1 cup ice, and 2/3 cup simple syrup (reserve remaining for another use) in a blender. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Serve up in a chilled coupe or over ice in a rocks glass, spooning foam over the top. Sprinkle with nutmeg; serve immediately.

CLARIFIED MILK PUNCH

Steps:

• Heat 2 1/4 cups of water to 208 degrees 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 Cook's Note.)
• Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
• Heat a heavy skillet over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Toast the allspice berries until fragrant, about 1 minute, then roughly crush.
• Combine the rum and crushed allspice berries in a quart-sized glass jar, seal the lid tightly and give it a good shake. Steep for 10 days.
• Strain the allspice-infused rum through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan and add the sugar. Heat over low, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature before storing in a glass jar or bottle.
• Note: Any overproof rum will work here, meaning any rum over 50 percent ABV. But navy-strength rum, typically bottled at 57 percent ABV, is my favorite. Just remember: The higher the ABV of the rum, the higher the ABV of your resulting dram.

MILK PUNCH

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, 1/2 cup water, vanilla seeds and pod. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Let steep for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture and discard the vanilla pod.
• Pour 1 cup milk, 3/4 cup brandy and half of the vanilla syrup into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake the cocktail until ice cold, and then carefully pour into 4 rocks glasses. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Garnish with nutmeg and enjoy!
• What Really Makes This Recipe Sing: This is the classic hair of the dog in New Orleans. Most bartenders have their own version, but any of them will do the trick.
• BYOC: Want to really indulge? Whip some cream up with a little superfine sugar and dollop on top. Want to cut some calories? Try making this with almond milk.

MILK PUNCH

Steps:

• Put the sugar, milk, half-and-half, bourbon, and vanilla into a large jar and stir well. Put the container into the freezer and chill the milk punch until it is quite slushy, at least 4 hours.
• Stir well and serve in chilled pretty glasses, garnished with a dash of nutmeg.

SIMPLE SYRUP FOR BRANDY MILK PUNCH

Steps:

• Place sugar in a heatproof bowl and pour over water; stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer syrup to a jar or container and keep refrigerated up to 1 month.

MARTHA FOOSE'S MILK PUNCH

Steps:

• Combine the bourbon, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly until the mixture is cold and frothy. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with a grating of nutmeg.