603 INFORMER / IN GOOD TASTE
Sips
A True Classic The old one-two milk punch
STORY AND PHOTO BY MICHAEL HAUPTLY-PIERCE
M
ilk punch almost sounds like what you might receive if you offended a toughie in a bad ’30s pulp novel. “He bumped into my dame when we were walking in the apple. He went to make tracks, but my doll went bananas, so I gave him a milk-punch right in the kisser, see — the old one-two!” But milk punch is a drink with a much older provenance. First created in the 1600s, it became quite popular in the 1700s into the mid-1800s. Mary Rockett published the
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first milk punch recipe, and such notables as Ben Franklin and Charles Dickens were early fan-boys. Her Majesty Queen Victoria actually issued a royal warrant to Nathaniel Whisson & Co. to provide the palace with the beverage. Although there is a style of non-clarified milk punch, such as eggnog, this article will focus on the more shelf-stable variety known as clarified milk punch. The possibilities for liquor/spice/fruit juice combinations are endless, and I have toyed
with jalapeño Mezcal versions featuring blood orange, or brandy with allspice and pomegranate. I wanted to create a drink that brought in warm spices and the boldness of dark rum, to warm the body and the soul as the snow starts to accumulate. This recipe requires 10 days of prep time, and requires a quantity of vessels, which my wife usually laments (every time I cook anything!), but once it is made, it is refrigerator-stable for up to a year. Don’t rush it, it will be worth the wait!
