Holiday Tipples: Brennan’s Caribbean Milk Punch

It’s Friday night, and just a few days before Christmas – time for some libations! And, in honor of the season (and the winter solstice, of course), we’re having a creamy, dreamy, very festive milk punch.

Never had milk punch? It’s kind of like eggnog, but without the egg and with a creamier consistency. We based ours on a recipe from the venerable Brennan’s in New Orleans, where, some years ago, we had the pleasure of partaking of their breakfast prix fix (including the fabulous baked apples!)…and where we started the morning with an “eye opener” of Mint Juleps. I still chuckle remembering how the the well-meaning bartender asked me if I knew that the cocktail was pretty much pure bourbon (I did, but I think the caution was fair).

It’s a straightforward recipe: mix bourbon, rum, simple syrup, and heavy cream in a cocktail shaker, pour, garnish (we used a sprinkle of nutmeg), enjoy.

I made a couple of minor changes to Brennan’s recipe, including using plain simple syrup plus a small splash of vanilla extract instead of vanilla-infused simple syrup; spiced rum (which also has vanilla notes) instead of dark rum; and half the amount of simple syrup. This is an easy-drinking, not-too-sweet drink that I think will become a holiday tradition here. Cheers!

You probably already know that since it’s the winter solstice, it’s the shortest day/longest night of the year. Other noteworthy astronomical events:

  • Jupiter and Mercury have been in conjunction (Jupiter can easily be seen with the naked eye – huge and bright!)
  • Tomorrow, the Cold Moon makes its appearance (last full moon of 2018)
  • The Ursid meteor shower peaks early tomorrow morning (look for shooting stars, but the full moon may make it difficult to see)

If your skies are clear, enjoy the show!