Pieninis Krupnikas

[swenocha]

A few years ago on the other forum, I proposed making Pieninis Krupnikas (and ultimately grossed out several of you). It's described from various sources as:

"the most delicious milk liqueur I've ever tasted."
"unmistakably creamy and citrusy (not unlike a Creamsicle). Like a dessert in a cup. But with booze." (the citrus version)
"not unlike a chocolate malt ball." (the chocolate version)
"Bathtub Bailey's"
"an excellent and fortifying after-dinner tipple"
"potent and delicious"
"creamy, fruity crowd pleaser along the lines of Bailey's or Kahlúa"
"a liqueur so smooth and perfectly sweet that you'll want to sip it straight."

Well, I did the deed today.

Ingredients for my go:


2c Vodka
2c Milk (not pictured)
1.5c Sugar
1ish tbsp Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
1ish tsp Hershey's Cocoa
0.5 Lemon (wedged)

Here's what we are looking like at the beginning of our 10-21 day at room temperature adventure



Now the wait... and then a cheesecloth straining, followed by a coffee filter straining or two...

Links: Gizmodo, WeGottaEat, xyz recipes, TheKitchensGarden

[swenocha]

dp

[BlackDuck]

Wow...what in the world is going to happen to the milk in there? Won't it curdle or turn bad? Guessing the vodka will keep that from happening. Very interesting project for sure.

[swenocha]

Time to strain...

First strained through a cheesecloth to get the chunks (milk chunks, lemon, etc) out, and then through a coffee filter to strain clear. You can skip the 2nd step if you so choose (I tasted some at that point, and it is creamy and very tasty, but I'm going to strain).




The result... smells of bourbon and vanilla. Yum...

[Inkleg]

Interesting, very interesting.

[John Sand]

Is it Lithuanian? Sounds like.

[gwcr]

Maybe it's just me, but the only thing I can think of when I see the title of this thread is...

Wyle E. Coyote...Super Genius

[John Sand]

[swenocha]

Is it Lithuanian? Sounds like.

Yes... Lithuanian milk liqueur...

[John Sand]

Well, how about that? I've been a Lithuanian Milk Licker!

[BigPapaG]

Hey Swen!

Can you add some process steps please?

I want to try a chocolate version...

Does any of this get heated before fermentation?

What's the active fermenter, the milk?

Inquiring minds want to know!

[mashani]

Does it even ferment is what I'd ask. The lemon may simply separate the milk solids from the milk sugar/whey like making paneer (Indian cheese which is not fermented). The sugar may simply remain in solution... I can't think of many wild yeasts or bacteria are going to get into it when you have all that vodka in there.

[BigPapaG]

Exactly... When is the vodka added... Is the lemon even needed for a chocolate version... (thinking a Bailey's or Kahlua-like result of sorts...)

I could wrap my head around some spontaneous fermentation from bacteria contaminating the milk, or the brew itself, with the acid from the lemon lowering the pH appropriately... And the vodka coming in late to the party to put any growth in check...

Or not...

And this notion of the lemon curdling the milk thus separating the sugars from the fats... Good, but doesn't that need to ferment? Or why wouldn't one just add vodka to sweet chocolate milk and call it done?

[mashani]

Think "liquor". Plenty of "liquor" starts from a base fermented substance (IE vodka) and then has other stuff "infused" into it later. that's my guess, but I could be totally wrong in this case...

[swenocha]

I don't believe there is fermentation going on. Lemon may not be necessary, but it was in the recipe I tried. The steps are:

Combine equal parts milk, sugar, and vodka in a sanitized container. I used around 2c of each (I actually only used 1.5c of sugar b/c that's all I had) and got about 500ml, give or take. I then added bourbon barrel aged vanilla (1 tbsp or so), a tsp or so of cocoa, and a half a lemon (wedged).

Close the container and let sit for 10-21 says, swirling occasionally.

Strain out the solids with cheesecloth. You can stop at this point if you want, or you can strain further with a coffee filter.

Here's the finished product after filtering. It took several hours to fully strain it: