Oolong Tea Clarified Milk Punch

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a larger format cocktail for a no-fuss holiday party. It’s a long process waiting for your beverage to strain, but this clear, buttery and sweet cocktail is worth seeing the triple straining through. This Zhang Ping Shui Xian tea is a buttery, floral light oxidized oolong tea with orchid and honeysuckle notes. It pairs well with the sweetness of whole milk and plum liqueur, vanilla notes in bourbon, and the sourness from lemon juice.

Oolong Clarified Milk Punch Recipe

1 Cup Milk 

⅓ Cup Lemon Juice

1 piece Zhang Ping Shui Xian Spring 2019 Oolong Tea Cake, or 10g Oolong Tea

2 Cups Water

⅔ Choya Plum Liqueur

⅔ Cup Bourbon (we used Jim Beam)

⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar

Whole Nutmeg, for garnish

Brew Tea cake in 2 cups of water at 180°F for 5 minutes. Do not worry about your tea over-brewing. The milk clarification takes away the tannic and bitter taste from brewing too hot or brewing too long.

Combine lemon juice, oolong tea, plum liqueur, bourbon, and sugar in a large pitcher. Combine tea mixture with milk in a large bowl and let sit for 15-30 minutes. Once the mixture has noticeable separation of milk curds, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth twice, leaving the curds in the cheesecloth after the first round. Discard the cheesecloth and curds, and using a coffee filter, give the mixture one final strain. The end result should be completely clear liquid, leaving a pale yellow hue.

Pour 4 ounces of your milk punch over a large block of clear ice in a rocks glass and garnish with a grating of nutmeg.