Home-Made Meringue Milk: How to Make the Traditional Recipe

I'm not going to reveal any secrets by talking about the ingredients used to make homemade merengada milk, an irresistible classic, refreshing and full of flavor. It's one of our most traditional drinks, along with horchata, Agua de Valencia or lemon slush. For me, it's one of summer's pleasures: served nice and cold and creamy, it feels wonderful and sweetens the afternoon like few others.

As you surely know, the recipe for authentic merengada milk is made with milk infused with cinnamon and lemon peel, sweetened with sugar, to which are added whipped egg whites or meringue; hence the name. A delicious drink served very cold. Some people even prefer to put it in the freezer for a few minutes or in an ice cream maker until it starts to slush. 

What you may not know is that merengada milk has an almost identical "sister," leche rizada, which simply leaves out the meringue. Using the same ingredients, except for the whipped egg whites, leche rizada has a more icy texture and gets its name because it "curls" as it freezes and is stirred, forming small crystals. So when we sweeten and infuse milk at home with lemon peel and cinnamon, and  serve it very cold, what we're really enjoying is closer to leche rizada than to merengada milk. 

Tips for perfect homemade merengada milk 

So you can make a good homemade merengada milk, as tradition dictates, in addition to the recipe there are a few simple tricks worth keeping in mind:

• Gently infuse the milk. Heat the milk over low heat with the cinnamon stick and lemon peel, and let it cook slowly without boiling hard to achieve a more aromatic flavor that isn't bitter.
• Avoid the pith on the lemon peel. The white part, or pith, is what will make it bitter, so the lemon should be peeled very thinly so the peel doesn't have that layer. For this, it's best to use a very sharp knife or a very precise fruit and vegetable peeler, such as the Kuhn Rikon stainless steel peeler.  
• Let the infused milk rest and cool thoroughly. Resting it in the fridge intensifies the lemon and cinnamon aromas and makes the flavor stronger. Also, the colder the milk is before adding the meringue, the better the final result. The mixture will be more stable and creamier. 
• Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. When they reach this point, you'll see peaks forming when you lift the whisk; the whipped egg whites hold their shape and the texture is shiny and stable. 
• Fold in the meringue gently. To keep them airy, the whipped egg whites should be mixed in little by little with gentle folding motions. 
• Finally, before serving the merengada milk, add a touch of ground cinnamon to boost the drink's aroma and flavor.

As with any recipe, in addition to using the best ingredients, one of the keys to a good result is patience. It's not an ingredient as such, but it's very important to keep in mind. And when making good merengada milk, it's essential, both while cooking the milk and while letting it rest. You'll see how the infusion gains in flavor and aroma. 

Without further ado, here is the recipe for homemade merengada milk, an irresistible classic and one that's wonderfully refreshing. 

Ingredients

• 1 liter of whole milk (fresh, if possible)
• 120-150 g of sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• The peel of 1 lemon
• 2 egg whites

Preparation

1. Put the milk in a saucepan with the cinnamon stick and lemon peel.
2. Heat over low heat until it starts to boil. 
3. Remove from the heat and add the sugar. Stir until completely dissolved.
4. Let the milk infuse until it is lukewarm and place it in the fridge for a few hours so it picks up the full aroma of the cinnamon and lemon.
5. When the milk is very cold, strain it to remove the cinnamon stick, lemon peel, and any impurities there may be. Put it back in the fridge.
6. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form with a hand mixer, until they are stable and shiny.
7. Fold the whipped egg whites into the cold milk. Do this little by little and with gentle folding motions. 
8. Serve the merengada milk very cold in glasses or cups and sprinkle a little ground cinnamon on top. Enjoy every sip!