yum!
A blog about food
Milk Punch
Festivities. Tradition. Family. All things I love. And all things I missed this year.
This year, I did not make it home to my grandma’s festive house, with food, decorations, and 45 of my closest relatives (AND we get along. It is amazing). Not to say that I am sad–I had the best Christmas a lil’ ole southern gal could have. It was white. This was my very first true white Christmas, with snow on the ground and the mountains. And with a major power outage and single digit temperatures, I felt that I was properly initiated into a special club of those that experience Idaho during the holidays.
My grandmother told me that happiness is what you make of it. So I woke up that chilly morning and went for a walk with my bulldog, Monty. Then I shoveled my backyard for no real reason, listening to Robert Earl King’s Christmas songs and dancing a morning jig with my dog in the snow. After freezing a bit, I went inside and enjoyed a hot beverage with a little extra holiday Baileys Irish Cream dropped in for good measure, sank back into my favorite chair with a good easy read and passed the hours leisurely until I needed to get ready for a delicious dinner (um, lobster macaroni?!? My friend Laurie is absolutely amazing).
So though it wasn’t my normal December 25th, it was still lovely in its own way. I embraced the adage, in with the new and out with the old, and came out happy, full, and feeling quite blessed with the people in my life. But like all aspects in life, you need to hold on to what makes you feel at home. And my family does one thing well at Christmas that I will never let go–we get together, we socialize, we go to parties, and we drink milk punch.
Milk punch is a happy holiday drink concocted by Mr. Oliver Berry, and I think it is fabulously festive and a must at Christmas and New Year’s. Though I didn’t like it at the tender age of 18 (read: I enjoyed pink sweet drinks then. I know. I know.), I have acquired a love for it as I have aged and come to appreciate good whiskey. It fills the belly with warmth, tastes great, and gives you just the right Christmas cheer to deal with whatever holiday stress comes your way—or enough Christmas cheer to pass out before dinner if you start too early (many people I know have deserved coal on account of milk punch). Beware: This recipe is HUGE–it is for a party of 30 or more and you need a big vat to mix it up. But I halved the recipe and am looking forward to my NYE.
Oliver Berry’s Milk Punch
I wanted mine to freeze quickly – so I just stuck it outside – but it should freeze overnight in your freezer.
Note: may be frozen and refrozen. 1/2 recipe fills the very large Tupperware salad bowl. Served every Christmas for our family at the Berry's house in St. Joe. I have notes that say it’s from the Houston Jr. League Cookbook - but I credit Oliver all the way.
yield: 50 cups. make 1/2 recipe for 16 people
1 1/2 gallons vanilla ice cream
1 gallon milk
2 fifths bourbon
1 fifth rum
1 c. white cream de cacoa
Let ice cream thaw until mushy (about 20 minutes). Mix softened ice cream, milk, bourbon, rum and cream de cacoa. Put in freezer.
To serve: allow to thaw 2 hours before serving. Serve in Jefferson cups is you have them (says Mom) and sprinkle with nutmeg.
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Reader Comments:
One other food favorite of mine is the stacks of cookies and snacks at my grandmother's house. The treasured 'best' is my aunt Martha's trash. A spicy concoction of nuts, crackers, pretzels, melba toasts, etc. that goes fast - and I, for the first time in my life - got my very own bag. Delicious. Not to be shared. Loved it.
So glad Lil shared my Dad's milk punch recipe with all of Sun Valley! He would be glad, too, and would have welcomed anyone on Christmas Day(one of his favorite times) to our house for a cup. We missed our normal tradition this year,Lil, and hopefully can make up for it next year with you and all the Lancasters!
Happy, Happy New Year!
Beth Berry
In Oliver's honor, KB made the milk punch this year. It could have only tasted better at the Berry's with you home.
As I am one that has deserved coal a Christmas morn or two (thank goodness Santa came before we had punch!) I'd suggest a hearty breakfast accompany your nutmeg-sprinkled glass o' deliciousness.
And as Robert Earl Keen said, "mom got drunk and dad got drunk, at out Christmas party..."
We went with dark cream de cacoa this year 'cause, well, it's hard to find a liquor store up there. Turned out just fine.