Let’s finish off the year
with a glass full of holiday cheer. I wrote (here) that 2013 offered a score
of outstanding cookbooks. A number of my favorites preached the gospel of new Southern
cooking, including Edward Lee’s Smoke
& Pickles and John Currence’s Pickles,
Pigs & Whiskey. Buy both of these books, and you get a double helping
of pickles.
You will also get some
outstanding cocktail recipes, especially for bourbon fans. Lee serves up Jalapeño-Spiked
Bourbon Julep, Bourbon Sweet Tea, The Rebel Yell and The New-Fashioned.
Currence likes his brown water as well; he shares recipes for New
Old-Fashioned, Spiced Cider and, the star of this post, Bourbon Milk Punch.
Currence writes
“[u]nbeknownst to most folks, Bourbon Milk Punch (or Brandy Milk Punch,
depending on who’s making it) is the choice beverage of the gentlemen who work
the floats on Mardi Gras day on St. Charles Avenue and ply the masses with
plastic beads and aluminum doubloons.” While often served during Mardi Gras, Milk
Punch is no stranger to Christmas gatherings. So let’s make some! Currence’s recipe
serves 1.
4 ounces whole milk
2 tablespoons
half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ ounces Buffalo Trace
bourbon
4 teaspoons confectioners’
sugar
Freshly grated nutmeg, for
garnish
Pour the milk,
half-and-half, vanilla, and bourbon over cracked ice in a cocktail shaker.
Spoon in the sugar, and shake vigorously. Pour into a large old-fashioned
glass, sprinkle nutmeg over the top, and serve.
As 2013 comes to a close, I
wish happiness and good health to all in the New Year!
