Of Milk Punch And The Seige Of Petersburg

[satx78247]

Friends,

I'm going to share our family recipe (from the maternal side) with each of you, as a Holiday Gift.
(This Milk Punch is a near cousin of eggnog and was served in canning jars on Christmas Eve at The Siege of Petersburg in 1864. Enough punch was made to give every citizen and soldier in the trenches at least a little, as there was LITTLE CHEER at Petersburg that year. - In memory of the Siege and the brave patriots who suffered/died there, our family still "breaks out the fruit jars".)

Note: I have NO idea how far back in history that this recipe goes, but it is definitely OLDER than the WBTS.

For simplicity, I have "cutdown" the recipe to enough for 2 servings. Normally, I make enough to serve fifty celebrants at a time or about 7 gallons.
(Fyi, when I was in an OCONUS combat zone "a long, long, time ago", I made enough on Christmas Eve for our entire company and "attached personnel" to have a generous serving.= about 25 gallons.)

To 8 ounces of milk, add 2 ounces of whipping cream, a tablespoon of sugar, one egg whipped into a froth, a tablespoon of vanilla extract and stir aggressively to blend the ingredients thoroughly. refrigerate until just before serving.
Then add 2 ounces of at least 100 proof straight corn likker to the mixture and stir.
(NO other sort of liquor but straight "white" corn whisky works.)
ENJOY.

During WWII, my grandfather started "floating" a gallon of vanilla ice cream in his punch bowl to keep the punch cold (He was "entertaining" servicemen from the local Army camp.), until it was consumed. - IF I have any, I've sometimes done the same.

WARNING: This stuff is DEADLY. Don't drink much of it and expect to walk/ride/drive and not "end up in a ditch".

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

yours, satx

 

[satx78247]

Speaking of holidays, this Thanksgiving is also the first night of Hanukkah.

The next time that the two holidays will fall on the same day, according to the calculations of WOAI News, will be the year 7990.

Whether your family celebrates ONE or BOTH holidays, BEST WISHES to you and your loved ones.

yours, satx

 

[gearheart]

You're saying that if I try to make this with 150 proof grappa, it won't be any good? Corn likker is hard to find up here in the great white north.

 

[satx78247]

I've never TRIED grappa. - OR even tasted any.
(Grappa is almost UNKNOWN in "hillbilly areas".)

I can tell you that KY bourbon, Irish or Rye doesn't work too well.

Most liquor stores will special order 100 or 110 proof white corn likker for you.
(IF I cannot buy GOOD "wildcat", I buy legal "OLE SMOKY MOUNTAIN" brand straight corn.)
www.olesmokymoonshine.com is their website.

As for me, "I gotta friend in the business".

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, satx

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Whether you use grappa or Everclear with grappa flavor added.. it will not taste the same. There are other recipes for "Milk Punch" that call for brandy. I think that the flavor of true "corn liquor" would be rather nice, for while the kick of 'shine is hard, the flavor is rather subtle.

Take two quarts of Water put two quarts of good French-Brandy, a dozen and a half of Lemons, three- quarters of a pound of double-refin'd Sugar, and three pints of New Milk; mix all together, and strain it through a Jelly-bag;"
1714


Milk Punch.
Take two quarts of water, one quart of milk, half a pint of lemon juice, and one quart of brandy, with sugar to your taste; put the milk and water together a little warm, then the sugar and the lemon juice: stir it well together, then the brandy; stir it again, and run it through a flannel bag until it is very fine.
1796



By 1840 one author wrote the following though the second recipe seems to contradict the first:

MILK PUNCH.

What is commonly called milk punch, is a mixture of brandy or rum, sugar, milk and nutmeg, with-without either lemon juice or water. It is taken cold with a lump of ice in each tumbler.


FINE MILK PUNCH.

Pare off the yellow rind of nine large lemons, and steep it for twenty-four hours in a quart of brandy or rum. Then mix with it the juice of the lemons, a pound and a half of loaf-sugar, two grated nutmegs, and a quart of water. Add a quart of rich unskimmed milk, made boiling hot, and strain the whole through a jelly-bag. You may either use it as soon as it is cold, or make a larger quantity, (in the above proportions,) and bottle it. It will keep several months.
1840

LD

 

[satx78247]

THANKS, Dave.

Never seen those recipes.

I suspect, but am not sure, that our family's milk punch recipe was "dreamed up" in MS or AL in the Colonial era.

In my GF era, farmers in Northeast TX & in LA also made what they called "Sunshine", distilled out of oranges, lemons and wild grapes. = I had some and that stuff is DEADLY at about 150-175 proof. = My GF's buddies drank copious amounts of it, cut 1/2 & 1/2 with 7-UP.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, satx