Mixing alcohol and milk is intriguing; however, one wonders if it makes a delicious cocktail. Read further to discover what combining these two will result in and find out how they fit together.
Is It Safe To Have This Mix?
Is it going to be a tasty combination or an absurd one? Let’s discuss those fully.
This mixture isn’t such a bad combination. Besides, there are a lot of branded beers that look already like a combination of these.
Some examples are milk stout, beer nog, and milkshake IPAs. All the above looks like a mixture of these two at first glance.
Does Beer Make Milk Curdle?
One popular question people ask concerning this mix is if the beer will make the milk curdle. Keep in mind that beer is a carbonated beverage and the other isn’t.
Matter of fact both have relatively opposite components when compared.
So you won’t be wrong if you think that the mixture would be volatile. If you add these together, the milky drink would curdle.
The alcohol would cause this to happen but this might not happen all the time. So it is a thumb rule, alcohol would make the cream coagulate.
Why Does Milk Curdle When Mixed With Alcohol?
The reason is acidity. Milky drinks don’t mix well in the presence of acidity.
It certainly would curdle. However, the pH level of the alcohol and the type of cream are two main determinants of whether your mix would curdle.
A lot of liquor has a score of 4 on the pH scale. And any score below 7 is considered acidic.
If you add liquor to 2% milk, it would coagulate, this is because such a cream doesn’t have a lot of fat to secure the milk proteins. Hence the beer acidity would make the proteins in the milk curdle.
But a heavily creamy milky drink with 36% fats for example most likely will not clump. This is because the cream is heavy and it has more ability and fat to protect the proteins.
But some might wonder why creamy stouts do not curdle. Milkshakes, IPAs, Milk stout, and other beverages in that category do not clump.
Do you want to know why? Continue reading.
The reason is that these beverages don’t contain real milk. They contain lactose.
This lactose is what makes Milkshake IPAs, and milky stouts have a creamy texture. They would not curdle since they don’t have proteins that can make them curdle.
Will This Mix Make You Ill?
Firstly, drinking a mix of these two is safe. It is a safe combination and generally doesn’t make one sick.
But if the beverage curdles then there is a chance that it would make you sick. So it is not advisable to drink beer with a clump. Curdled milky drinks are not a pleasing sight to behold and the effect of consuming such is far worse especially when it is mixed with alcohol.
Alcohol isn’t easily digestible. Mixing it with a clumped milky drink would further make it more difficult to digest.
This can further cause diarrhea and stomach aches.
Below we have provided answers to some of your burning questions about this mix. Find out the answers to your questions and learn more about this combination.
Does This Mixture Coagulate In Your Stomach?
Yes, this mix would curdle in your gut. However, stomach acidity already makes milk curdle when in the stomach.
Is It Safe To Drink Liquor Before Drinking Milky Drinks?
There is an anti-puke trick where you take in a slice of bread before you go on a night of drinking. This is done to reduce the absorption pace of alcohol.
This urban myth isn’t 100% correct. But there is no harm in taking a glass of milky drink before finishing it off with a bottle of liquor.
But if you reverse it by taking the liquor first before taking the milky drink, it might cause you to have some digestive discomfort.
Can You Make Cocktails With Them?
There are a couple of cocktails you can get with a milky drink. Some of them are;
- Bilks
- Beer Nogs
- Beer Floats
- Beer Milkshakes
If you are not a fan of creamy alcohol cocktails there are a lot of other recipes that you can try;
What Happens If You Add Alcohol To Milk
Generally, alcohol is presumed to make cream curdle, but this depends on the type of alcohol.
If a 100-proof vodka comes in contact with milk it would clump. But a 60-proof vodka would likely not make it clump.
Hence alcoholic drinks that are diary based are usually low-proof for the creamy content not coagulate.
Does It Weaken Alcohol?
Ian Marber, a nutritionist, says having milky beverages before bed can replenish lost minerals. Even if there are other better sources of minerals, this beverage contains casein, which is a protein that can help counteract alcohol and help one sleep.
Summary
Generally, these two can mix well, but, in some cases, you might not get a proper mix. The type of beer, the type of milk, and the pH level of the liquor are what determine if you would have a smooth mix.
Beer is acidic being that the average beer has a score of 4 on the pH scale. A rich creamy milky beverage is more likely to withstand the beer acidity and not get clumps in the mix.
Some popular beer and milky cocktails use lactose sugar found in milk to create a creamy texture. A perfect mix would not make you sick, but if you get clumps you might fall ill.
To enjoy a beer cocktail and not fall sick, it is important to pay attention to the type of beer and the milk beverage. This is to ensure they mix well and avoid clumps.
That way you would be able to enjoy your cocktail.
