Peanut punch

Ingredients

Blend

• 250 gsmooth unsweetened peanut butter, or 250 g roasted peanuts ground to a paste
• 400 mlevaporated milk
• 250 mlwhole milk, very cold
• 150 mlsweetened condensed milk
• 1 tspvanilla essence
• ½ tspfreshly grated nutmeg, plus more to finish
• ¼ tspground cinnamon
• 1 pinchfine salt
• 250 gice cubes

Optional

• 2 tbsprolled oats, soaked 10 min in 60 ml water
• 1 tbspAngostura bitters
• 30 mldark rum per glass, for an adult punch

Directions

1. If starting from whole nuts, roast 250 g raw peanuts at 180°C (350°F) for 12 minutes until the skins crack, rub off the skins in a cloth and grind to a smooth paste in a food processor, 4–5 minutes, scraping down twice.
2. Put the peanut butter, evaporated milk and half the whole milk in a blender and run 30 seconds to slacken the paste before anything else goes in; adding ice too early leaves gritty flecks.
3. Add the condensed milk, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and blend another 30 seconds.
4. Add the soaked oats if using, which thicken the punch and are the standard trick for body without more sugar.
5. Add the ice and the remaining milk and blend on high for a full minute, until the punch is thick, pale and completely smooth with no grain on the tongue.
6. Taste and adjust: it should be sweet but not cloying, with the nutmeg clearly present. Add condensed milk a spoon at a time if it needs more.
7. Chill 30 minutes if you have time, or pour straight into tall glasses over a couple of extra cubes.
8. Grate nutmeg over each glass and serve with a wide straw. Drink within an hour, as it separates as it stands.

Technique

• Peanut punch belongs to the Caribbean family of drinks treated as strengthening food, alongside sea moss and Guinness punch, and is sold at every roadside stall and gym in Antigua.
• The two milks do different jobs: evaporated milk gives body without diluting, condensed milk gives sweetness and a caramel note. Using only fresh milk makes a thin, disappointing punch.
• Undissolved peanut solids settle. If it separates in the glass, that is normal; stir and drink.

Substitutions

• Use tahini or cashew butter for a nut punch with a different profile if peanuts are a problem, keeping every other quantity the same.
• For a dairy-free version use 400 ml oat milk and 250 ml coconut milk in place of the two tinned milks, and sweeten with 4 tbsp cane sugar.

Variations

• Peanut punch with a shot of dark rum, sold as a night-time version.
• The Trinidadian style, made with a whole raw egg blended in and more nutmeg.

History

Blended peanuts, milk and spices sold as an energy drink from stands and shops, popular across the eastern Caribbean.

Frequently asked questions

What is Peanut punch?

Peanut punch is a drink from Antigua and Barbuda: creamy blended peanut drink with milk and nutmeg. Blended peanuts, milk and spices sold as an energy drink from stands and shops, popular across the eastern Caribbean.

How long does Peanut punch take to make?

Peanut punch takes 10 min of preparation and none, plus chilling of cooking. The recipe makes 4 glasses. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Peanut punch?

Yes, within limits. Use tahini or cashew butter for a nut punch with a different profile if peanuts are a problem, keeping every other quantity the same. For a dairy-free version use 400 ml oat milk and 250 ml coconut milk in place of the two tinned milks, and sweeten with 4 tbsp cane sugar.

What is the most important thing to get right in Peanut punch?

Put the peanut butter, evaporated milk and half the whole milk in a blender and run 30 seconds to slacken the paste before anything else goes in; adding ice too early leaves gritty flecks.