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"When you first see milk punch, you may think it's a misnomer. Though the 18th-century cocktail is made with milk, it's as transparent as water (okay, more like translucent), which is why contemporary bartenders are as obsessed with it as was Benjamin Franklin back in 1763. But wait, what happens to the, uh, milky stuff? Well, the milk gets mixed with liquor, simple syrup, and dairy-curdling citrus, then those curds get strained out, leaving behind flavorful, alcohol-infused whey. In the era before refrigeration, this process ensured the punch could remain shelf-stable for months.\r\n\r\nSince then, this cocktail has remained a New Orleans tradition, an eye-opener that provides much-needed stamina during the whirl of Mardi Gras festivities. But today, bartenders across the country are whipping up their own versions, with liquors ranging from the traditional brandy to vodka. Be forewarned\u2014some of these recipes are time-intensive... so plan ahead! \u201CUnlike many great classic cocktails that you have to make individually, milk punch actually tastes better if you let it \u2018marinate\u2019 overnight. All the elements come together this way,\u201D says &lt;strong&gt;Ti Martin&lt;/strong&gt;, co-owner of New Orleans\u2019s storied &lt;a href=\"commanderspalace.com\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Commander\u2019s Palace&lt;/a&gt;. During the restaurant\u2019s 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.\u00A0\"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.\u201D This versatile recipe from\u00A0&lt;strong&gt;Eamon Rockey&lt;/strong&gt;, general manager of New York's\u00A0&lt;a href=\"betony-nyc.com\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Betony&lt;/a&gt;, calls for robust black tea like Assam or English Breakfast, paired with either beer, cider, or in-season juice. \u201CBlood orange is great right now,\u201D he said in February. An &lt;em&gt;\u00E0 la minute&lt;/em&gt; spirit\u2014say, vodka, gin, or rum\u2014is up to the imbiber. \u201CThe 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.\" &lt;a href=\"backbarunion.com\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Backbar&lt;/a&gt;, tucked behind the restaurant\u00A0&lt;a href=\"http://www.journeymanrestaurant.com/\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Journeyman&lt;/a&gt;\u00A0in Somerville, MA, serves a roster of ambitious milk punches\u2014co-owner and bar manager\u00A0&lt;strong&gt;Sam Treadway&lt;/strong&gt;\u00A0guesses they\u2019ve 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. \u201CIt sold like hotcakes,\" Treadway said, \"because people heard the description and they were intrigued. \u2018BBQ apple? I don't know what that would taste like.\u2019 And then once they did, it both fit the title and was surprisingly pleasant without any singular flavor being too aggressive.\" The current iteration of milk punch on the menu of New York restaurant &lt;a href=\"northriverny.com\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;North River&lt;/a&gt; flaunts a heady mix of dark rum and bourbon, along with ruby red Port. \u201CRight now,\" says\u00A0owner\u00A0&lt;strong&gt;Colby Zito,&lt;/strong&gt;\u00A0\"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. Milk punch is undoubtedly the star of Brooklyn bar &lt;a href=\"tookeralley.com\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Tooker Alley\u2019s&lt;/a&gt; cocktail menu. Proprietor &lt;strong&gt;Del Pedro&lt;/strong&gt; infuses it with Oregon chai for a deep tea flavor. \u201CI didn\u2019t feel that I had to hew to an orthodox milk punch,\u201D Pedro explains. \u201CLeaving some milk solids in helped with the body of the drink. It was much more satisfying on a cold winter night than the classic.\u201D Pedro also shuns \u201Cquite-heavy\u201D demerara syrup and serves his milk punch straight up because he found ice diluted it too much, and the flavors became dissipated. Classic cocktails are the crux of &lt;a href=\"213nightlife.com/thevarnish \" target=\"_blank\"&gt;The Varnish&lt;/a&gt;, the sexy hideout behind &lt;a href=\"http://213nightlife.com/colesfrenchdip\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Cole\u2019s&lt;/a&gt;, in downtown Los Angeles. The warm milk punch doesn\u2019t stray too far from &lt;a href=\"http://www.jamesbeard.org/recipes/mary-rocketts-milk-punch\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;Mary Rocket\u2019s 18th-century creation&lt;/a&gt; (the first one ever written), but small tweaks include a mix of rum and Cognac instead of using solely brandy, letting an &lt;a href=\"http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/09/cocktail-101-how-to-make-oleo-saccharum-lemon-oli-for-punch-wondrich.html\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;oleo-saccharum&lt;/a&gt;\u00A0(muddled lemon zest and sugar that create a fragrant syrup) stand in for a lemon peel infusion, and swapping in more milk for water. \u201CThe process is time-consuming,\u201D says general manager &lt;strong&gt;Max Seaman&lt;/strong&gt;, \"but it allows the flavors and textures to\u00A0integrate and unify.\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.bonappetit.com/drinks/cocktails/slideshow/milk-punch-recipes>