Small-batch milk wine

A single-bottle batch uses the quantities most family recipes give per bottle of arrack. These are guidance rather than rules, and your first batch is a chance to learn what you like. Choose a mid-range pure coconut arrack and fresh full-cream milk for the best result.

Everything should be ready before you start the mixing day: syrup made and cooled a little, citrus juiced and strained, milk measured. The curdling happens in seconds, and there is no time to hunt for ingredients once the milk is boiling.

If you prefer a less sweet drink, start at the lower end of the sugar range. You can always add a little syrup at bottling, but you cannot take sugar out.

Pare the lime peel thinly, without the white pith, and put it in a large clean jar with the cinnamon, cloves and lightly crushed cardamom. Pour in the arrack, seal and leave in a cool place for one to two days, shaking gently once or twice.

The arrack will take on a pale golden colour and a strong citrus and spice aroma. This steeped spirit is the flavour base of the whole batch, so do not skip or rush it.

Keep the juiced limes in the fridge in a covered container, or juice them on day two. Strain the juice through a fine sieve to remove pips and pulp.

Caramelise about a third of the sugar in a heavy dry pan until deep amber, then carefully add a cup of hot water, standing back as it spits. Stir in the remaining sugar until dissolved. Let the syrup cool a little, then pour it into a large pot with the steeped arrack, the lime juice and the vanilla.

Bring the milk to the boil in a separate pan. Pour it steadily into the arrack mixture. It will curdle at once into soft white curds in a cloudy liquid. Stir gently once, cover the pot and leave it undisturbed overnight in a cool place.

Do not panic at the sight of the curds. This is exactly what should happen. Do not stir again, as breaking up the curds makes straining harder.

Line a sieve with fine muslin over a clean bowl. Ladle in the curds first to build a filtering bed, then gently pour in the liquid. Collect the first cloudy runnings and pour them back through until the liquid runs clear.

Let it drip by gravity, without squeezing, for several hours. For extra clarity, strain a second time through paper coffee filters. A single-bottle batch usually takes most of a morning or afternoon.

When straining is finished, discard the curds or use them in cooking, and taste the milk wine. It will be bright and sharp at this stage, and will soften over the coming weeks.

Funnel the milk wine into clean, sterilised, dry glass bottles, filling close to the top, and seal tightly. Label with the date. Store upright in a cool, dark cupboard.

Rest for at least a week, ideally three or four, before serving. Over that time the flavours blend, the sharpness fades and any fine sediment settles.

Serve at room temperature in small liqueur glasses, with a square of Christmas cake if you can find or make one.

Use full-cream milk and enough citrus; both are essential for firm curds and a clear result. Keep everything very clean, since the drink will be stored for months. Above all, never squeeze the cloth.

Lankan Stays & Trails can point December visitors to cooking experiences in Colombo where milk wine and Christmas sweets are sometimes made, a good way to watch the process before trying it at home.

Keep notes. Write down your quantities, the arrack you used and how the batch tasted after a week and a month. Next year, adjust one thing at a time.