The shooter form of the Milk tart is still as sweet, still as creamy, but drinkable with a kick of liquor.
Introduction to milk tart shooters
Probably one of the oldest, most well-known recipes in South Africa is the traditional Milk tart — an open pastry case with a sweet creamy filling covered with cinnamon. Although ‘Melktert’, as we call it in Afrikaans, is still a huge hit among young and old, this post is about Milk tart shooters.
A slice of traditional South African milk tart. John Mountjoy (CC BY 2.0)
The shooter form of the Milk tart is still as sweet, still as creamy, but drinkable – with a kick of liquor.
There are at least two commercial Milk tart shooter mixes available in South African bottle stores, but with this recipe, you can make a better, custom mix to your own taste. It also works out significantly cheaper, which means more shooters for more people.
Milk tart shooter ingredients
To make the minimum of about 1 L you will need:
- At least 1 tin (385 ml) sweetened condensed milk
- At least 1 tin (380 or 410 ml) evaporated milk
- At least 3/4 cup (~180ml, or 7 tots @ 25ml each) of Vodka
- Ground cinnamon (optional, but highly recommended)
The ideal ratio for a proper amount of Milk tart shooter mix is 2:1 – two parts mix (two tins each) with 1 part Vodka (375 ml or Half-jack). This will make about 2 litres.
The amount of Vodka can be increased, but stronger mixtures tend to taste more like ‘cough medicine’.
Apart from Vodka, all you need is condensed milk, evaporated milk, and cinnamon.
Smirnoff Vodka. Any Vodka can be used.
Preparation
You can be fancy about this and do some whisking, but in essence, just mix all the ingredients together in a mixing jar and pour them into an appropriate-sized bottle. You can also be clever and pour the mix together into a quarter bottle of Vodka.
Shake the bottle to blend the mixture together and keep the mixture refrigerated until served.
Presentation
Shake the bottle well before pouring it into a shooter or shot glass. Shooters can be sprinkled with ground cinnamon. Milk tart shooters should be enjoyed chilled.
Conclusion
Although traditional Milk tart is a well-known South African hit, Milk tart shooters can also be made at home and enjoyed.