Clear Cocktails - Milk Clarification

A Guide to Creating Clear Cocktails: Techniques and Tips

If you're a cocktail enthusiast, you've probably heard of clarification - a technique that can change the appearance, texture, and flavor of your drinks. But what exactly is clarification, and how can you use it to create better cocktails? Today, we explore the murky world of clear drinks.

In essence, clarification is the process of removing suspended particles from unclear liquids to create a clear appearance. There are several methods to achieve this, but we'll mainly focus on filter clarification and share a recipe that uses milk washing for you to try.

It's worth noting that clarifying liquids can affect their flavor. The particles that are removed from the liquid carry flavors, so by subtracting them, you'll be affecting the overall flavor of the cocktail.

For modern cocktail creators, there are three central methods for clarifying liquids: filter clarification, gel clarification, and gravitational clarification. In this post, we'll be examining filter clarification and how to use it for clearly great results in your bar.

The technique of clarification in drinks has been around since the 1700s and was popularized by Benjamin Franklin, one of America's founding fathers. Milk washing, in particular, was a method used to mitigate the rawness of spirits like brandy and rum. Today, it's more centered around clarifying cocktails and working with multiple ingredients.

Milk washing, in particular, has evolved over time and yields unique and appealing results for drinkers. It can provide an added dimension in terms of flavor or texture, and it has the 'wow factor' for storytelling to customers. It can be refrigerated and stored easily for long periods, and it can be used as an alternative method for achieving bubbles in a cocktail if you desire a specific texture.

While not a practical process to be rolling out during service at the bar, pre-batching before shifts can provide a unique, altered ingredient that can be responsible for an interesting conversation with a customer or a few extra bucks on the bill. So give it a try, and let us know what you think!

Here are the general steps for milk clarification:

1. Choose your recipe: Milk clarification works best with cocktails that have a higher acid content, such as citrus-based drinks or sour-style cocktails. It's also important to keep in mind that the flavors of the clarified cocktail may be different from the original, as milk clarification can affect taste.
2. Combine ingredients: Mix all of the ingredients for your cocktail, including any dairy or citrus juices, in a shaker or mixing glass.
3. Add milk: Add whole milk to the mixture. The general rule of thumb is to use one part milk to four parts cocktail. So, for example, if you're making a cocktail with 4 ounces of liquid, you would add 1 ounce of milk.
4. Stir or shake: Stir or shake the mixture vigorously for a few minutes to fully incorporate the milk.
5. Strain: Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a separate container. The milk solids will be left behind, resulting in a clear liquid.
6. Repeat if necessary: If the liquid is still cloudy, you can repeat the process by adding more milk and repeating steps 4 and 5.
7. Chill: Chill the clarified cocktail before serving, either by stirring with ice or storing in the refrigerator.

To milk clarify the classic New York sour cocktail, follow these steps:

Ingredients:

60ml bourbon

30ml lemon juice

15ml simple syrup

15ml red wine

Equipment:

Fine mesh strainer

Cheesecloth

Bowl

Milk

Steps:

1. Combine bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a mixing glass or cocktail shaker.
2. Pour the mixture into a bowl.
3. Add an equal amount of milk to the bowl (in this case, 120ml of milk).
4. Whisk the mixture until the milk proteins have coagulated and the mixture looks curdled.
5. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes to allow the curds to form.
6. Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over another bowl or container.
7. Slowly pour the curdled mixture through the cheesecloth-lined strainer, allowing the clear liquid to strain through while leaving the curds behind.
8. Discard the curds and any remaining milk solids.
9. The resulting liquid will be clear and should have a smoother, silkier mouthfeel.
10. Pour the clarified cocktail into a glass over ice.
11. Using a spoon, float the red wine on top of the cocktail.
12. Serve and enjoy your beautifully clear and delicious Classic New York Sour!