Got milk punch?
It's the drink of the season in New Orleans, and it's seeping into other corners of the U.S. as well. The sweet drink is made with brandy, bourbon or rum. It goes down easy and packs a big kick.
A relative of the traditional -- and traditionally loathed -- eggnog, milk punch is a versatile and altogether-more-fun drink that is consumed year-round by those in the know. Its history is thought to date back to England in the 1800s, although its origins are elusive. Today, milk punch is commonly associated with New Orleans, and with breakfast or brunch. The cognoscenti use it as a morning-after alternative to the Bloody Mary.
Milk punch is an ideal drink for the holiday season, when you might start imbibing earlier than is commonly accepted. But please, don't put it on your cereal! And keep it away from the kids -- the milk masks the alcohol's hard edge, making it a tempting drink for the younger set.
New Orleans restaurants often feature this beverage: It goes for $9 at Acadiana, a trendy Louisiana eatery in Washington, D.C. But you can easily whip up a batch at home. The basics are milk, heavy cream, alcohol, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and ice. A sprinkle of freshly shaved nutmeg on the frothy top adds a spicy rejoinder to the creamy drink below.
It takes some experimenting to get the drink right, which is part of the fun. You can, and should, adjust the proportions of ingredients until you're satisfied with the taste. Drink up!
Wright Bryan, a producer for npr.org, consumed mass quantities of milk punch to research this article.
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