One of the great brunch traditions in New Orleans, a great brunch town, is the eye-opener. That's an alcoholic drink served before or with the meal. Beyond the Bloody Mary and the mimosa, and far more local in character, is milk punch. Gentle and sippable, it's a welcoming drink, one of my favorites. But I'd never made it at home and finally tracked down and then adapted a recipe for it.
Some people make it with brandy, but I find I prefer bourbon; it's your call. It really is better with at least a little half-and-half in it, so use skim for about half your milky ingredient and half-and-half for the other half – if that makes sense. I find it's better to shake it with one batch of ice and then strain it over fresh cubes – somehow, it keeps things colder.
Another fillip that's optional is fresh nutmeg. You can use the pre-ground, of course. But it's easy to buy whole nutmegs at Penzey's or elsewhere. And one of the offspring gave me, not knowing exactly what it was, a wee grater that is perfect for grating it. Nutmegs are very hard, so it takes a little pressure to get things moving.
But here is the recipe for one serving.
1 1/2 ounces (3 Tbs.) bourbon (or brandy)
a dribble of vanilla – maybe 1/8 tsp.
1/2 cup milk and/or half-and-half (see above)
2 Tbs. powdered sugar
Ice
Nutmeg
In a shaker or other leak-proof container, put alcohol, vanilla, milk mixture and powdered sugar wtih some ice cubes or crushed ice. Close container and shake hard for about 30 seconds – you want some froth on there.
Strain over fresh ice in a glass. Top with nutmeg, freshly grated or otherwise.
This can be easily scaled up for a quantity and simple syrup can be substituted for the powdered sugar, using a teaspoonful of syrup for every tablespoonful of powdered sugar.