Clarified cocktail

Technique

A clarified cocktail is a drink with its haze removed, usually by milk curds that trap the cloudy solids and get strained out.

Also called: clarification · milk-washed cocktail · milk clarification

Ratio: 4 parts cocktail to 1 part milk
Milk: whole milk, cold, about 40°F (4°C)
Rest before straining: 10 minutes to 1 hour
Milk curdles below: pH 4.6
Drinks bartenders have milk-clarified: Piña Colada, Cuba Libre

What clarified cocktail means

Clarifying turns a cloudy drink clear and leaves a softer texture. You pour the cocktail into milk, let the curds form, then strain them out with a double strain. The step is slow, so plan for the rest time. Bartenders have given the milk treatment to familiar drinks such as the Piña Colada and the Cuba Libre.

A lot of home bartenders assume a milk-clarified drink tastes of milk. The curds trap the milk solids and get strained out, so what reaches the glass is clear and smooth, not dairy. That is why the finished drink can look clear and still taste of the cocktail you built.

The cocktail needs acid to start the curds. Milk only curdles below pH 4.6, so lemon or lime juice in the drink does that work. Use whole milk, since skim milk curdles but stays cloudy.

How to clarify a cocktail

You need an acidic cocktail, cold whole milk, a coffee filter and up to an hour for the curds to settle.

1.Pour the cocktail into the milk, not the milk into the cocktail, so the curds form evenly.
2.Use 4 parts cocktail to 1 part cold whole milk, kept at about 40°F (4°C).
3.Let the curds settle for 10 minutes to 1 hour before you strain.
4.Strain through a coffee filter in a fine strainer, pouring slowly so you do not disturb the curd bed.
5.Strain a second time if you want a clearer drink.

Clarified cocktail compared

Milk punchMilk punch is the old drink style that started it. Clarifying is the technique, now used on many cocktails.
Double strainDouble straining catches ice chips and pulp. Clarifying removes the fine haze that no strainer can catch.

Related terms

Ingredients

Put it to use in your next drink

Garçon explains every step as you make the drink.