Impress friends by making Clarified Milk Punch like Americana

Curdling milk to make a cocktail might sound strange, but it’s the secret to making a clear, rich and flavorful drink. Americana serves a Clarified Milk Punch with gin and Earl Grey tea. Adding milk to the batch cocktail clarifies and softens the flavor of the gin. The straining process takes a couple of days, but the batch can be made in advance and served to impress at dinner parties. If the recipe is too intimidating, you can just sip one lakeside at the restaurant.

Ingredients

■ 2 liters gin

■ 8 cups sugar

■ 8 cups hot water

■ 2 cups of honey

■ 8 cups Earl Grey tea

■ 2 cups brandy

■ ½ gallon milk

■ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

■ 6 lemons zested

■ 6 dashes bitters

■ Garnish

■ Orange peel

Straining

After the milk has started to curdle in the mixture, strain the entire mixture through a chinois lined with cheesecloth. This first straining usually takes only 10 to 15 minutes. Dispose of the first cheesecloth and double line the chinois with new cheesecloth. Strain the mixture four cups at a time through this double-layered cheesecloth. This will take longer than the first batch, about 30 minutes, to filter each four-cup batch. Repeat this process throughout the day for two days, replacing the cheesecloth after all the mixture has been filtered through. This gradually removes the sediment from the mixture. Any sediment will settle overnight and, on the second day, strain it one last time through the cheesecloth. The drink is ready to serve when the liquid is transparent and the cheesecloth does not catch any sediment. While milk punch is typically clear, Americana’s has an orange hue because of the tea and brandy.

Serving

Pour milk punch over large rock ice cube. Stir for 30 seconds. Cut orange peel, squeeze orange peel over drink and place in ice. Serve.