The Cultural Yin and Yang of Milk-Washed Cocktails and Paneer Cheese
I first came across a milk-washed cocktail called the “Clearance, Clarence” at the restaurant Lockbox headed by culinary wizard Jonathan Searle in Lexington, Kentucky. This cocktail was a delightful mix of contradictions. It was light yet had a full mouthfeel. It was lemony but still reminded me of its bourbon heritage. It also paired perfectly with a dish of heirloom tomato, Vidalia onion, cucumber, field pea hummus & summer herbs.
I was so enchanted by this drink that I asked my server Zephyr for more information on how it was made.
“This cocktail was invented by one of our bartenders, Norma,” she enthusiastically explained. “It’s based off a whiskey sour and she made it yesterday and then let it sit overnight. You can find the recipe online on our website.”
Armed with this tidbit of information, I decided to recreate this magical cocktail once I flew back home to Seattle, Washington.
As I researched and then made this milk-washed cocktail, I realized the process was exactly the same as making paneer cheese. I also discovered why one culture ending up making cocktails while another made cheese.
The earliest record of milk-washing cocktails in Western culture is 1688 and appears at the end of a survey expedition book called “An Account of the Isle of Man,” written by William Sacheverell for the Manx Society.
But the want of drink was no small disappointment; however, we supped merrily, and afterwards made a bowl of milk-punch, which proved a good medicine against the fleas, and I slept as well as if I had had the best feather bed in England — William Sacheverell
We take for granted today that the alcohol we drink is regulated and safe to consume. Back in the 1600’s, there were no legal requirements behind how spirits were produced and what you drank was extremely rough and harsh. As such, milk washing emerged out of necessity to round out harsh spirits. As an added bonus, milk punch also stayed good at room temperature indefinitely, considering that home refrigerators didn’t exist until 1913.
One of the most famous milk-punch recipe is from a letter Benjamin Franklin wrote to a friend in 1763. Apparently, the taste is lemony with a slight medicinal taste. Which makes sense because milk punches were used as a remedy for colds in Western countries back in the 18th century.
While Western cultures used milk to make alcohol taste better for medicinal purposes, Indian culture focused on making cheese for sustenance.
The original spelling of paneer was ‘peynir’ which was the general term for cheese in Persian and Turkish languages. This type of cheese is widely used in northern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
One narrative attributes paneer to the Portuguese who colonized India in the 1700’s, and brought over their cheese making process. A more likely narrative though attributes the first written mention of paneer to the Kushan dynasty in 75–300 CE.
To understand India in 70–300 CE, you actually have to look further back to the Aryans. This nomadic tribe lived in India during the Vedic period (1500–500 BCE) and is credited with establishing the early doctrine of Hinduism. This new religion gradually shifted the focus away meat consumption towards vegetarianism. Hinduism also elevated the status of cows from averaged to sacred. Cows were revered for their gentle nature, milk they provided, ability to till the land, and dung for fuel. A vital lifeline for a massive population living in an agrarian society back then.
In addition to the cow, India also had access to the water buffalo which Western countries did not. Buffalo milk also has 2x fat compared to cow milk and more calcium. These nuances lead to a richer and smoother tasting paneer when made with buffalo milk compared to cow milk.
Easy access to both cows and water buffaloes combined with the cultural shift towards vegetarianism during the Vedic period is why I find the Portuguese narrative hard to believe.
Paneer is a derivative of milk which India had in abundance. It is from a renewable source. It’s super easy to make. It is high in protein and fat. It has a mild flavor which enables it to be used in many dishes. It provides variety from straight-up milk or yogurt. It also tastes really good.
When you have 500+ years of consuming dairy and dairy products like cream, ghee (clarified butter) and yogurt, what are the odds that you don’t stumble upon the cheese making process?
Western and Indian cultures were solving different problems when they mixed milk with acid. One for medicine, the other for sustenance. Yet the thing in common between the two cultures was the use of the same scientific process.
By focusing on the things that bring us together, we can come together and find common ground. Where we can build a bridge that can be used by both sides to explore a new, yet familiar world. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll see buffalo-milk washed cocktails readily available on menus in the U.S. or India.
Until then, the next time you are at a restaurant or bar, ask for a milk-washed cocktail if you haven’t had one before. Or, order a dish with paneer at your local Indian restaurant next time you are hungry. Because now you understand the yin and yang of these two things, both might taste a little bit better.
Clearance, Clarence Cocktail
2 oz milk clarified bourbon
1/2 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz vanilla syrup
orange peel expressed
aromatic bitters
Combine all ingredients. Shake well with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Express orange peel over the cocktail. Garnish with aromatic bitters.
Equipment:
Cheesecloth
Chemex (optional, but easiest to filter with)
Kitchen food scale
Whole milk
Bourbon
To clarify the bourbon: There is no need to heat the milk, you can just use straight out of the refrigerator. The amount of milk you use to clarify should be 20% of your total bourbon volume. i.e. 100 grams of bourbon would be 20 grams of whole milk.
Slowly pour the bourbon into the milk (not the other way around, because the milk curdles instantly otherwise) and watch as curds start to magically form. Gently stir and let the mixture sit for 3 hours before straining multiple times through a cheese cloth. Note that you should leave the curds in place as you strain multiple times. Think of the curds as additional filtration layer for the bourbon.
Refrigerate overnight so remaining particles settle to the bottom and carefully pour the clear bourbon into a new container and dispose of any remaining sediment.
Milk-Washing/Paneer Making FAQ
- There is still lactose in milk clarified drinks, because lactose is a water-soluble sugar. If you are lactose intolerance, be sure to take some Lactaid pills.
- You can get some pretty awesome foam the first couple days of shaking a milk clarified bourbon.
- Milk-clarified cocktails can apparently stay good from 6 months to 2 years. Unclear on what the ultimate shelf life is so I’m currently running an experiment.
- The reason you heat up milk before making paneer is to speed up the process and create larger cheese curds. Heat is not necessary for milk-clarifying cocktails (making the process a lot easier).
