Brandy Milk Punch
French Quarter brunch
A New Orleans brunch cornerstone. Brandy, milk, cream, simple syrup, and a whisper of vanilla, shaken hard and capped with fresh-grated nutmeg. Brennan's in the French Quarter popularized this version starting in the 1940s; the drink itself dates to colonial America, when brandy was considered medicinal.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Brandy
- 3 oz Milk
- 1 oz Cream
- 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
Method
Combine brandy, milk, cream, simple syrup, and vanilla in a shaker with ice. Shake hard until well chilled, 15 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Grate fresh nutmeg on top.
A variant of the English milk punch family, first documented in writing in William Sacheverell's 1688 travelogue of the Scottish isle of Iona, with the earliest known recipe by Mary Rockett (1711). Documented in Jerry Thomas's *How to Mix Drinks* (1862). Milk punch variants, including those made with brandy, were popular in colonial America (notably Benjamin Franklin's 1763 recipe). Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans (founded 1946) popularized the drink but did not invent it. Per Difford's Guide #314; CLASS Bar Magazine.
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