Condensed Milk

Making Deliciously Rich Cocktails with condensed milk

Condensed milk may sound like a strange ingredient behind the bar. This could be farthest from the truth if you want to add a sweet thickener to coffee drinks, dessert cocktails or add a little Spanish flare to your drinks. The milk will be available in the grocery store baking aisle and will come in a small can. Just make sure you have a can opener behind the bar otherwise you may not be making the drinks that you’ve anticipated.

Dessert and Coffee Drinks

Some of the best dessert drinks will be used with a blender and also feature some whipped cream. One of the most popular drinks is the Bailey’s Irish cream. You can create a whole pitcher of it by using a pint of whip cream, a cup and a half of brandy, a tablespoon of vanilla, 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup, three eggs and a 14oz can of condensed milk. All of the ingredients will go into the blender on low until it is well blended. Variations can be made with ice cream, omitting the eggs and adding Kahlua.

An adult hot chocolate can also be a delicious way to belly up to the bar. You will use cocoa powder, condensed milk (evaporated, dry) and coffeemate creamer with powdered sugar to create a dry mixture. You will then take a third of a cup of the mixture and add it to boiling water with a shot of dark rum (or Kahlua) for a delicious and rich cocktail to keep you warm.

Spanish Drinks using condensed milk

Spanish drinks are often very thick and very rich. They will often revolve around condensed milk and then filter in either a fruit or coconut flavor to be blended in. One such recipe is the Batidas Frozen Cocktail which will use a martini shaker filled with ice to be filled with 2 parts each of cachaca and tropical fruit puree and 1 part each of simple syrup and condensed milk. The ingredients will be shaken together and then strained into a Rocks glass or tumbler.

 

Another recipe is the Coquito. The most traditional way to serve this is in a bottle to be presented to a family for a special occasion and then can be poured into glasses. You will need to boil cinnamon sticks in a pot of water. Once the water has turned yellow, you can then add evaporated milk, condensed milk, and eggs and keep cooking at a low temperature. As it starts to bubble, you’ll add cream of coconut and a liter of white rum. The ingredients will then need to be cooled, bottled and refrigerated.

Recipes can be as simple or as difficult as your skill level allows. You can play around with condensed milk, ice, a blender and either coffee or other liqueurs behind the bar to create some unique cocktails that you can serve on your own without a recipe. There is no right or wrong as long as it tastes good and people enjoy drinking it.