The Brandy Milk Punch

A descendant of one of the oldest cocktails, the brandy milk punch has become a calling card for New Orleans brunch culture. In The Brandy Milk Punch, Sharon Keating and Christi Keating Sumich explore the cocktail’s origins and its relationship to the Crescent City’s food scene. With a versatile recipe that offers space for creative reimagining, the brandy milk punch got its start with the centuries-old English milk punch before evolving into its current incarnation in a city renowned for its commitment to revelry. This book takes a deep dive into the cocktail’s key ingredients, most of which served medicinal purposes before coming together in the brandy milk punch.

New Orleans stands at the epicenter of the brunch culture that has blossomed across the country in the last few decades. The Brandy Milk Punch situates the cocktail firmly within the local brunch scene and shares recipes for both the traditional brandy milk punch and the many variants invented by creative bartenders across the city.

Traditional brandy milk punch has only a few key ingredients. Keating and Sumich take a deep dive into them, emphasizing the common thread of medicinal uses for all the ingredients—particularly brandy! “Brandy Milk Punch” next explores the cocktail's well-earned place in New Orleans brunch, which was central to the meteoric national rise of brunch culture over the past decade. The final chapter included recipes and pictures of the drink in various forms and establishments known for their brandy milk punches.