I tend to order fruity cocktails whenever I’m at a bar, since I like sweet things, and fruity cocktails tend to be sweet. But sometimes, especially when it’s cold, I’m in the mood for something creamy. The thing is, though, that most creamy/milky cocktails are really unhealthy, because they tell you to use half-and-half or heavy cream. Since my diet is unhealthy enough as it is without having cocktails made of heavy cream, I use milk most of the time instead of cream. It probably tastes better with more fat, of course, but they’re mostly for getting drunk anyway, right?
First, I tried making a Brandy Alexander.
Brandy Alexander
1.5 oz brandy
1 oz dark creme de cacao
1 oz milk
I just replaced the cream with an equal volume of milk. I thought it needed more milk, though. It tasted mostly like brandy, with a hint of chocolate milk. Maybe instead of a 3:2:2 brandy to dark creme de cacao to milk ratio, it should be more like 3:2:6? I’ll have to make this again.
The White Russian is a classic, so I tried that next.
White Russian
2 oz vodka
1 oz Kahlua
2 oz milk
Even though I used more milk than I was supposed to (the IBA ratio of vodka/Kahlua/cream is 5:2:3), it still tasted pretty strong. Again, probably needs more milk. Maybe more like 2:1:4.
I had had a drink called a Toasted Almond before, so I tried recreating it at home.
Toasted Almond
2 oz amaretto
2 oz Kahlua
2 oz half-and-half
Since I had a rough day that day, and I happened to have half-and-half in the fridge, I used that instead of milk this time. But it’s a little bit too sweet, even for me. It’s probably because of the large proportion of liqueur in this drink. It does have a very nice almond taste, although it didn’t really taste toasted to me.
Creamy cocktails always seem to come out that same pale brownish color, and they usually don’t have bright garnishes. But they sure taste good when you’re in the mood!