The Science, Mastery and Mystique of Clarified Tequila Cocktails

(Photo: Cottonbro Studio/Pexels)

As craft cocktails trend to new heights of popularity, it feels like the barrier to entry becomes ever less attainable. Whether it’s on Instagram or at the latest trendy speakeasy, gold foil and gourmet foam are being plopped atop cocktails like never before, a whirlwind of flashy show tricks that — more often than not — do little to elevate flavor.

One of the most popular and oft-misunderstood is milk clarification.

Alongside hoity-toity techniques like spherification, thickening and liquid nitrogen infusion, milk clarification is sometimes classified as a type of molecular mixology. The phrase hardly invites casual interest; chances are, “molecular mixology” conjures to mind a hipster bartender twiddling an oversized mustache as he adjusts his suspenders. Or perhaps a scientist surrounded by bubbling neon-green beakers.

There’s no need to be intimidated. Clarification — and similar methods like fat washing — boil down to combining two ingredients, letting them rest and then separating.

In the case of clarification, we’re talking dairy. The end result works both to smooth and amplify, concentrating distinct flavors while providing a crystalline, silky mouthfeel befitting of the finest bars. When applied to tequila and mezcal cocktails, it’s a doozy of unexpected flavor.

Getting Into The Details

(Photo: Cottonbro Studio/Pexels)

Among seasoned bartenders, you’ll find a wide variety of tools and techniques gathered under the catch-all clarification umbrella. For the sake of this guide, we’ll pass on advanced methods like agar clarification and centrifugation and instead focus on milk washing.

So far as tools, the most easily attainable for home mixologists is a fine mesh strainer and cloth. Coffee filters work well, though you’ll have to pour in your cocktail a small portion at a time. For best results, you’ll want a fine mesh strainer 10 inches or more in diameter alongside either a cheesecloth or nut milk bag.

To begin, mix your drink of choice then measure out milk separately at a 1:4 ratio (one part milk to four parts cocktail). Fuller fat liquids like whole milk or condensed milk work best, though alternatives can include nut, oat, soy or coconut milk. These alternatives will impart unique flavors but result in fewer curdles, the main catalyst for clarification.

Leave your milk in a shallow bowl and slowly pour in your cocktail. Gently mixing with a spoon, you’ll begin to see white curdles rise to the top. This is how you’ll know the process is working — within those curdles, proteins are bonding to bitter and astringent tannins, ones that affect taste, clarity and consistency. Soon, they’ll be completely removed from the equation.

After a good stir, cover the mixture and leave in the fridge anywhere between 30 minutes to a day. The curdles should separate out into a frothy film that sits atop the clarified mixture below.

Last but not least, place your cloth inside the fine mesh strainer and position it over a wide bowl. As you pour the liquid through, you’ll see the curds coagulate within the cloth. Make sure you leave those curds there as you pass all of the liquid through the strainer at least two more times.

The end result doesn’t taste like milk per se. Rather, it gentles out gritty flavors in favor of a creamy mouthfeel and punchy attention to individual ingredients. Its appearance should be nearly crystal-clear, perfect for impressing guests. Properly bottled in the fridge, it can last up to a year.

Popular Cocktails

(Photo: Coa Hong Kong)

Since clarification has its roots in dairy, the technique is often used on rum- and whiskey-adjacent cocktails like Eggnog and the Piña Colada. But the possibilities are so much more.

Coa Hong Kong’s award-winning Coconut Milk Punch, for instance, combines mezcal, pineapple rum and Earl Grey tea with a sweetly sour tamarind spice syrup. Guadalajara’s El Gallo Altanero — a frequent sight on the World’s 50 Best Bars list — has its own twist on clarified Milk Punch made with raicilla, peanut oil and sherry.

When it comes to agave spirits cocktails, the most important factor to remember is that clarification smooths out citrus flavor. Whether it be the lime in your Margarita or grapefruit in your Paloma, clarification brings out silky nuance in tried-and-true recipes worth shaking up.

Below, we present a simple take on the Clarified Margarita perfect for home mixologists getting their footing with the technique:

Clarified Margarita

Ingredients

• 3 oz High-Quality Blanco Tequila (recommendations here)
• 2 oz Triple Sec
• 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
• 1 1/4 oz Whole Milk

Directions

1. Combine tequila, triple sec and lime juice in a shaker without ice, shaking well for 20-30 seconds.
2. Measure out your milk in a bowl. Slowly mix in the margarita mixture and stir with a spoon until curdles appear.
3. Prepare the strainer and cheesecloth, then pass the liquid through. Collect the liquid in a pitcher and pass through the strain again, a total of three times.
4. Bottle and seal well!

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