6 Milk Punch Recipes for Mardi Gras (or Any Tuesday)

“Unlike many great classic cocktails that you have to make individually, milk punch actually tastes better if you let it ‘marinate’ overnight. All the elements come together this way,” says Ti Martin, co-owner of New Orleans’s storied Commander’s Palace. During the restaurant’s beloved brunch, its brandy rendition appears on almost every table; in the summertime Martin prefers bourbon. Make it the night before, and then serve it a rocks glass with freshly grated nutmeg. "This is my favorite Mardi Gras drink," says Martin. "We actually freeze them in water bottles, and after a few hours on our float it is a perfect slushy consistency.”INGREDIENTS2 ounces brandy1 1/2 ounces heavy cream or almond milk1 ounce simple syrup1/2 teaspoon vanilla extractFreshly grated nutmeg (for serving)PREPARATIONCombine brandy, cream, simple syrup, and vanilla extract in a cocktail shaker; fill shaker with ice. Shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with nutmeg.

This versatile recipe from Eamon Rockey, general manager of New York's Betony, calls for robust black tea like Assam or English Breakfast, paired with either beer, cider, or in-season juice. “Blood orange is great right now,” he said in February. An à la minute spirit—say, vodka, gin, or rum—is up to the imbiber. “The nice thing about straying a bit from the original recipe by not adding a base spirit until serving it is that you can customize it to your guests' preferences."INGREDIENTS3 cups brewed black tea3 cups fresh lemon juice3 cups fresh orange juice1 cup simple syrup1 cup vodka3 cups whole milk1 1/2 ounces vodkaPREPARATION Combine tea, lemon juice, orange juice, simple syrup, and vodka in a large pitcher.Bring milk to a bare simmer in a medium saucepan. Immediately pour milk into vodka mixture (milk will curdle right away). Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl. Cover and chill until cold (any remaining curds should settle at the bottom of the pitcher). Carefully ladle clarified punch into a clean pitcher, leaving any remaining curds behind. Chill until ready to serve.For each cocktails, combine vodka and 2 oz. milk punch base in a cocktail shaker and fill shaker with ice. Shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.

Backbar, tucked behind the restaurant Journeyman in Somerville, MA, serves a roster of ambitious milk punches—co-owner and bar manager Sam Treadway guesses they’ve churned out about 100 different ones over the past two years. One ambitious hit is the BBQ Apple, in which Treadway mixes equal parts mezcal, gin, apple brandy, maple liqueur, apple cider syrup, and lemon juice, capped off with a blast of chipotle Tabasco before the boiling milk makes an appearance. “It sold like hotcakes," Treadway said, "because people heard the description and they were intrigued. ‘BBQ apple? I don't know what that would taste like.’ And then once they did, it both fit the title and was surprisingly pleasant without any singular flavor being too aggressive."INGREDIENTS1 1/2 cups apple brandy (preferably Laird’s)1 1/2 cups gin (preferably CapRock)1 1/2 cups maple liqueur (preferably Green Mountain)1 1/2 cups mescal (preferably El Buho)1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice1 1/2 cups Apple Cider Syrup (click for recipe)Tabasco smoked chipotle hot sauce (optional)3 cups whole milkPREPARATIONCombine brandy, gin, liqueur, mezcal, lemon juice, and syrup in a large pitcher.Bring milk to a bare simmer in a medium saucepan. Immediately pour milk into brandy mixture (milk will curdle right away). Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl. Cover and chill until cold (any remaining curds should settle at the bottom of the pitcher). Carefully ladle clarified punch into a clean pitcher, leaving any remaining curds behind. Chill until ready to serve.

The current iteration of milk punch on the menu of New York restaurant North River flaunts a heady mix of dark rum and bourbon, along with ruby red Port. “Right now," says owner Colby Zito, "we serve this version with aged spirits because I think it very much exemplifies what I want to drink during the cold winter months." His spring version will contain fresher, more herbaceous flavors.INGREDIENTSZest of 1 lemon, removed with a peelerZest of 1 lime, removed with a peelerZest of 1 orange, removed with a peeler1/2 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar8 dashes orange bitters1 750-ml bottle bourbon1 750-ml bottle dark rum1 cup fresh lemon juice1 cup fresh lime juice1 cup fresh orange juice8 cups whole milkPREPARATIONUsing a wooden spoon, muddle lemon zest, lime zest, orange zest, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a medium bowl until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add Port and bitters and let sit 15 minutes. Stir in bourbon, rum, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, and 1 cup water. Bring milk to a bare simmer in a medium saucepan. Immediately pour milk into Cognac mixture (milk will curdle right away). Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl. Cover and chill until cold (any remaining curds should settle at the bottom of the pitcher). Carefully ladle clarified punch into a clean pitcher, leaving any remaining curds behind. Chill until ready to serve.

Milk punch is undoubtedly the star of Brooklyn bar Tooker Alley’s cocktail menu. Proprietor Del Pedro infuses it with Oregon chai for a deep tea flavor. “I didn’t feel that I had to hew to an orthodox milk punch,” Pedro explains. “Leaving some milk solids in helped with the body of the drink. It was much more satisfying on a cold winter night than the classic.” Pedro also shuns “quite-heavy” demerara syrup and serves his milk punch straight up because he found ice diluted it too much, and the flavors became dissipated.INGREDIENTS2 cups Cognac (preferably Courvoisier VS)2 cups rum (Appleton Estate VX)2 teaspoons loose chai tea1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest2 ounces fresh lemon juice1 cup whole milk1 1/2 tablespoons Demerara Simple Syrup (click for recipe)Freshly grated nutmeg (for serving)PREPARATIONCombine Cognac, rum, tea, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large pitcher. Set aside to steep, 2 hours; strain and discard tea and lemon zest. Bring milk to a bare simmer in a medium saucepan. Immediately add hot milk to cognac mixture (milk will curdle right away). Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pitcher or large bowl, leaving about half of the curds in the base. Cover and chill until ready to serve.Combine simple syrup and 3 oz. punch base in a cocktail shaker and fill shaker with ice. Shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with nutmeg.

Classic cocktails are the crux of The Varnish, the sexy hideout behind Cole’s, in downtown Los Angeles. The warm milk punch doesn’t stray too far from Mary Rocket’s 18th-century creation (the first one ever written), but small tweaks include a mix of rum and Cognac instead of using solely brandy, letting an oleo-saccharum (muddled lemon zest and sugar that create a fragrant syrup) stand in for a lemon peel infusion, and swapping in more milk for water. “The process is time-consuming,” says general manager Max Seaman, "but it allows the flavors and textures to integrate and unify."INGREDIENTSZest of 4 lemons, removed with a peeler2 tablespoons sugar1 cup fresh lemon juice1 cup Demerara Simple Syrup (click for recipe)1 750-ml bottle Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac or other full-bodied Cognac, preferably 86–94 proof750 ml El Dorado 5-year-old rum or other dark rum3 cups whole milkPREPARATIONUsing a wooden spoon, muddle lemon zest and sugar in a medium bowl until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Cover and let sit at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours (longer is better). At this point sugar should be dissolved, leaving a lemon-flavored syrup.Combine lemon syrup, lemon juice, demerara syrup, Cognac, and rum in a large pitcher. Bring milk to a bare simmer in a medium saucepan. Immediately pour milk into Cognac mixture (milk will curdle right away). Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl. Cover and chill until cold (any remaining curds should settle at the bottom of the pitcher). Carefully ladle clarified punch into a clean pitcher, leaving any remaining curds behind. Chill until ready to serve. Reheat gently just before serving and divide among teacups.