A. 500 mL Gold Rum (16 2/3 oz Don Q)1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder
6 Allspice Berries (ground, ~1/2 tsp before grind)
1 Tbsp Ground Coffee
B. 12 oz Simple Syrup (1:1)
5 oz Lime Juice
C. 10 oz Whole Milk
1 Tbsp Ground Coffee
1. In a large bowl, add rum, spices, and first measure of coffee grounds from "A" and let infuse for 1 hour. After that, add simple syrup and lime juice from "B".
2. In a sauce pan, add milk and second measure of coffee grounds from "C". Heat slowly to 180°F (or until the first signs of a boil if you lack a thermometer) with occasional stirring. Pour hot coffee-flavored milk into the bowl containing the rum and spices.
3. Stir and leave for 15-20 minutes until the milk is fully curdled. Strain through a tea towel to remove curds, spices, and spent coffee grounds; I strained into screw cap vermouth/wine bottles for easy storage and transport. A second filtering step through a coffee filter would clarify the punch, but I find it unnecessary. Also, allowing the particulates to sediment over time (several days) and decanting off the punch into a new bottle will work as well.
4. Cool punch in fridge. Keeps almost indefinitely when refrigerated. Serve in glasses or punch cups.
On Saturday afternoon, I received a phone call from some friends about an impromptu gathering later that evening. After hanging up the phone, I got the idea for this punch and immediately set to work on gathering the ingredients. Of course, inspiration struck just as Saturday's downpour began but my motivation was strong enough to brave the rain. The flavor profile was shaped after the Zambito and I further spiced the punch with elements from Turkish coffee, namely cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice. I bolstered up the spice levels to allow for a quicker infusion since time was limited before the event started
The end product was distinctly coffee flavored and scented but not overwhelmingly so. I was pleased with how well the coffee, rum, and lime juice meshed with the spices. While the cardamom and allspice flavors and aromas were rather distinctive, the cinnamon seemed a little shy in the profile. Moreover, the punch had a rather luxurious mouthfeel from the combination of milk whey and simple syrup.
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4 comments:
Sounds great! Have you tried the Coffee-Cognac milk punch at Drink?
Haven't tried a milk punch at Drink since Ben made a few varieties (no one there has mentioned that they have milk punch since then so I didn't know that they were still making any). The only one I tried since then was Carrie's at Craigie on Main maybe a month or so ago.
I did make a batch of nasturtium milk punch last summer that I never wrote about.
Was their coffee using brewed coffee or extracted in spirit?
I'm not sure the nature of their coffee. Gotta ask Scott, he's the one that made it I think.
Drink has been doing milk punches pretty regularly. They have recently had an excellent '34 Zombie milk punch and a tequila-peppercorn milk punch.
At home I've been experimenting with milk punches too. I like how they can be kept for a long time and are always ready to drink.
Write up your nasturtium!
I'll have to see if I still have the nasturtium recipe. It was the standard flower-in-alcohol infusion that I normally do and I believe that I used cinnamon, clove, and allspice. Not sure if I supplemented things with tea or not. Still have a bit in the fridge although I doubt the nasturtium flavor has survived (it is not very stable).
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