Quick answer
To make milk wine at home after a trip, bring back a bottle of Sri Lankan arrack within your customs allowance, plus Ceylon cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and vanilla if you like. Abroad, brandy or rum can replace arrack, and lemons can replace limes. Use full-cream milk. Follow the usual method: steep peel and spices, mix with syrup and juice, curdle with boiling milk, rest overnight, strain slowly and bottle. Start by late November for Christmas.
Key takeaways
- Bring back Sri Lankan arrack and spices within your customs allowance.
- Abroad, brandy or rum can replace arrack, and lemons can replace limes.
- Use full-cream milk for firm curds and a clear result.
- The method is the same wherever you make it.
- Start by late November for milk wine at its best by Christmas.
What to bring back
The most useful thing to bring home is a bottle or two of Sri Lankan arrack, ideally a mid-range pure coconut arrack. Buy it from a licensed shop or duty free, within your home country's customs allowance and the airline limit of five litres for spirits over 24 per cent.
Ceylon cinnamon is worth bringing too. It is more delicate than the cassia sold in many countries and makes a noticeable difference. Cloves, cardamom and vanilla pods are easy to pack.
Kithul treacle, if you want to experiment, adds a smoky sweetness. Check customs rules on plant and food products before packing.
- →Arrack: one or two bottles.
- →Ceylon cinnamon: quills.
- →Cloves, cardamom, vanilla.
- →Kithul treacle: optional.
Finding ingredients abroad
In many countries, Sri Lankan grocers or specialist spirit shops stock arrack. If you cannot find it, use brandy, which many Sri Lankan families already use, or rum. A mix of brandy and a little rum works well.
Lemons are easier to find than limes in some countries and give a softer citrus note, closer to English milk punch. Full-cream milk is widely available.
Spices are easy to find, but look for true Ceylon cinnamon, sometimes sold as soft-stick or true cinnamon, in specialist shops.
Supermarket full-cream milk works perfectly. Avoid ultra-filtered or lactose-free milks, which can curdle differently, and skip low-fat milk, which forms weak curds and leaves a haze.
The method at home
The method is the same wherever you are. Steep thinly pared citrus peel and whole spices in the spirit for one to two days. Make a syrup with sugar, part caramelised, and add citrus juice and vanilla.
Bring full-cream milk to the boil and pour it into the spirit mixture. It will curdle at once. Stir once, cover and leave overnight.
Strain slowly through muslin, pouring back the first cloudy runnings, and let it drip without squeezing. Bottle in clean, sterilised bottles and rest for three to four weeks.
Expect your first batch to differ a little from the milk wine you tasted in Sri Lanka. Ingredients, climate and spirit all play a part, and that variation is exactly how family recipes have always developed.
- →Steep: peel and spices, one to two days.
- →Mix: syrup, juice, vanilla.
- →Curdle: boiling milk, rest overnight.
- →Strain and rest: three to four weeks.
Adapting the recipe
Start with the standard quantities per 750 ml bottle of spirit: 500 to 750 ml milk, 400 to 500 g sugar, four to six limes or two to four lemons, two cinnamon sticks, six to eight cloves and four to six cardamom pods.
Adjust to your taste. Brandy is a little sweeter than arrack, so you may want less sugar. Lemons are milder than limes, so you may want more juice.
Keep notes and change one thing at a time each year. Over a few Christmases, you will develop your own family recipe.
Timing for Christmas
Plan to steep the peel and spices around the last weekend of November, so the milk wine can be bottled by early December and rest for three to four weeks before Christmas Eve.
In the northern hemisphere, a cool kitchen helps the curds firm up and keeps the bottles stable. In Australia, where Christmas falls in summer, find the coolest corner of the house.
Lankan Stays & Trails guests who have made milk wine at home after a December trip say the waiting is the hardest part.
- →Late November: steep and mix.
- →Early December: strain and bottle.
- →Christmas Eve: serve.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make milk wine outside Sri Lanka?
Yes. The method is simple and the ingredients are easy to find. Use Sri Lankan arrack if you can, or brandy or rum. Use full-cream milk and limes or lemons. Follow the usual steeping, curdling, straining and resting method.
What can I use instead of arrack?
Brandy is the most common substitute and is used by many Sri Lankan families. Rum also works. A mix of brandy and a little rum gives depth. The milk wine will taste a little different but will be recognisably the same drink.
Where can I buy Sri Lankan arrack abroad?
In many countries, Sri Lankan grocers or specialist spirit shops stock arrack. Availability varies. Bringing one or two bottles home from Sri Lanka, within your customs allowance and the airline limit, is the most reliable option.
Should I bring spices home from Sri Lanka?
Ceylon cinnamon is worth bringing, as it is more delicate than the cassia sold in many countries. Cloves, cardamom and vanilla pods are also easy to pack. Check your home country's customs rules on plant products first.
When should I make milk wine for Christmas at home?
Steep the peel and spices around the last weekend of November, so the milk wine can be bottled by early December and rest for three to four weeks. A batch made in mid-December is still good, just brighter.
Can I use lemons instead of limes?
Yes. Lemons give a softer, rounder citrus note and are traditional in English milk punch. Use two to four lemons per bottle of spirit, as they are larger than limes. Many families abroad use lemons.