Oaxacan Clarified Milk Punch

Herbal dust, clear milk and toasted piñatas

You might think that milk cocktails are all heavyweighters like White Russian or Egg Nog, but hold on, there’s a completely different world to be explored! – Welcome to the world of the clarified milk punch.

How to get your milk punch on…

The clarified milk punch (also known as English milk punch) was invented back in the 1700 as a method of clarifying and preserving drinks and is actually more a technique than a particular recipe.

You make a punch including citrus juice or another acidic ingredient and then add milk (often hot) to the mix. The acids will then curdle the milk and coagulate its milk proteins and after the punch is strained, you end up with a clear and only subtly milky punch.

The process preserves the cocktail, and that would have been the main reason for applying it, but it also removes cloudiness and softens the harsh flavor of the rough spirits available back in the days.

Nowadays the clarified milk punch is back in the bars and the bartenders are exploring the many possibilities it holds.

At Balderdash the Oaxacan clarified milk punch offers guests a gentle introduction to mezcal – the smoky cousin of tequila.

We wanted to have a mezcal cocktail on the menu that was approachable but also fun. This one is fruity and aromatic with a baseline of smoke. – Geoffrey Canilao

Oaxacan clarified Milk Punk is most definitely not a DYI cocktail. At Balderdash it’s batched in large quantities. Check out the process below if you’re curious*. Here’s an outline of the content:

Oaxacan clarified milk punch - craft cocktail from Balderdash cocktail bar in CopenhagenMezcal
Elderflower liqueur
Pineapple
Caramelized sugar
Lemon juice
Buttermilk
Coconut and lovage powder

In the Oaxacan milk punch you’ll find the smoky and earthy notes of the mezcal smoothly blended into the mix of a fruity pineapple and elderflower punch. It’s all tied together by the herbal touch of a lovely lovage-coconut dust.

The drink is silky and clear, with a soft and mellow taste as the clarifying process helps marry the flavors together.

The lovage is key to the mix as its herbaceous quality both embraces and lifts up the earthiness of the mezcal, the aromas of the fruits and the richness of the coconut.

The Oaxacan in “Oaxacan milk punch” substitutes the English in ,English milk punch’ and hereby substitutes the old English recipes use of fruity brandy with the agave based mezcal which is produced in the State of Oaxaca in Mexico.

*Cut pineapple into small pieces 600-650 grams, add 200 grams of sugar, caramelized and then add 200ml hot water stirring with 1 gram of salt. Add 700ml Vida Mezcal, 230ml elderflower liqueur. Let all ingredients sit for 36hours in fridge. Add 200ml Lemon Juice, 200ml heated buttermilk (70c). Let sit overnight and double strain through a cloth and run through a centrifuge (Spinzall).

Dust for garnish: Dry lovage stems and Leaves in dehydrater at 110c for 6 hours. Put in blender and blend till powder consistency. Mix 1 parts lovage, 1 parts coconut powder, 1 part powdered sugar and a small part citric acid depending on the batch.

Balderdash cocktail bar in Copenhagen

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Mia Lindegaard