Bourbon Pumpkin Milk Punch Recipes

CLARIFIED MILK PUNCH

Steps:

• Heat 2 1/4 cups of water to 208 degrees F. If you have an electric kettle with a temperature setting, great. If not, bring the water to a boil in a saucepan, kill the heat and count to 20. Pour the water over the teabags into a quart vessel and steep 3 minutes before removing the bags. (Do not wring out or squeeze the bags.)
• Add the sugar to the hot tea and stir to dissolve. Then add the port, rum, Allspice Dram, and lemon juice. Cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
• Pour the milk into a glass pitcher and then follow with the tea mixture. (Yes, it will curdle.) Park on counter for 1 hour. Do not shake, stir or molest in any way. Just let the magic happen. Oh, and make sure the tea goes into the milk, not the other way around.
• Line a large, fine-mesh sieve with a commercial-sized coffee filter (we like those made for 1.5-gallon machines) and strain the mixture into a wide, 4-quart container. Once completely filtered, typically about 1 hour, transfer to a quart jar or pitcher and chill to serve. (See Cook's Note.)
• Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
• Heat a heavy skillet over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Toast the allspice berries until fragrant, about 1 minute, then roughly crush.
• Combine the rum and crushed allspice berries in a quart-sized glass jar, seal the lid tightly and give it a good shake. Steep for 10 days.
• Strain the allspice-infused rum through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan and add the sugar. Heat over low, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature before storing in a glass jar or bottle.
• Note: Any overproof rum will work here, meaning any rum over 50 percent ABV. But navy-strength rum, typically bottled at 57 percent ABV, is my favorite. Just remember: The higher the ABV of the rum, the higher the ABV of your resulting dram.

PUMPKIN KEG BOURBON-APPLE PUNCH

Steps:

• For the pumpkin: Cut off the top of the pumpkin with a sharp knife. Clean out the seeds and pulp with an ice cream scoop. Insert a tap in the empty pumpkin according to the package directions; set aside. (See Cook's Note).
• For the punch: Slice the apples into thin rings and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Stud each slice with 5 to 6 whole cloves and then freeze until solid, about 4 hours and up to overnight.
• Meanwhile, stir together the apple cider, bourbon, bitters and lemon juice in the cavity of the pumpkin and top with the pumpkin lid. Refrigerate until the pumpkin and the punch inside are well chilled, at least 2 hours. Remove the lid and add the apple slices to the punch and serve.

BOURBON MILK PUNCH

Steps:

• In a mixing glass three-quarters filled with ice, pour the bourbon, rum, milk or cream, vanilla and simple syrup. Shake vigorously until chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass. Dust with nutmeg.

HOT MILK PUNCH

Steps:

• Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, frothing it with a whisk until it is quite hot but not boiling. Whisk in the sugar. Remove from the heat and stir in the bourbon. Pour into a heatproof mug and grate a small amount of fresh nutmeg atop the foam. Serves one.

BOURBON-MILK PUNCH

Steps:

• Pour the milk and half-and-half into a bowl and blend. Add the bourbon and the sugar, according to taste.
• Fill glasses or, preferably, julep cups with ice and pour the punch over the ice. Serve immediately.