The Varnish's Milk Punch

• Produce

  • 6 Lemons, zest of

• Condiments

  • 1 3/4 cups Turbinado simple syrup

• Baking & Spices

  • 2 tbsp Superfine sugar

• Dairy

  • 2 qt Whole milk

• Beer, Wine & Liquor

  • 2 cups Cognac
  • 1 qt Demerara rum

Found on seriouseats.com

Description

Ingredients

• Peeled zest of 6 lemons plus 1 1/3 cups juice from a total of about 10 lemons
• 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 2 quarts (1/2 gallon) whole milk
• 1 3/4 cups turbinado simple syrup (see note above)
• 2 cups cognac, such as Pierre Ferrand 1840
• 1 quart demerara rum, such as El Dorado Five-Year
• Garnish: freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

• 1. Place peeled zest in a non-reactive bowl or container. Add superfine sugar and muddle until the sugar starts to pull out the essential oil in the peels, about 5 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. After it sits, the peels will shrivel and the oils and sugar will combine into a fragrant syrup, called the oleo-saccharum. 2. Heat milk in a large saucepan, stirring constantly, until steaming but not boiling. Off heat, add the oleo-saccharum (with the zest), lemon juice, simple syrup, cognac, and rum. Stir vigorously until the curds and whey have separated. Strain mixture though a fine mesh strainer to remove curds and zest. Add more syrup or dilute with water to adjust sweetness. Serve warm or cold, topped with freshly grated nutmeg.