Moon Milk (Warm Bedtime Spiced Milk)

Before you start

Moon milk is a loose name for a warm, caffeine-free milk drink meant for the end of the day. Most versions start with milk, spices and a little sweetness, and many add floral notes or color for a gentle evening cup. Nothing in it is a sleep aid; the appeal is a warm, quiet ritual and a drink with no caffeine to keep you up.

This version steeps the milk with chamomile flowers or a little dried lavender, then seasons it with vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Steeping rather than boiling keeps the flowers soft and sweet instead of soapy. Some moon milk recipes add herbal supplement powders; this one leaves them out, because they are supplements rather than flavorings and are not a good fit for a casual recipe.

Ingredients

• 260 ml (1 cup plus 4 tsp) whole milk or oat milk — a little extra allows for evaporation
• 1 tbsp (about 2 g) dried chamomile flowers — or 1 chamomile tea bag; or ⅛ tsp culinary dried lavender
• 1 small pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 small pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tsp honey — to taste

Method

1. Warm the milk in the saucepan over medium-low heat until it steams and small bubbles appear around the edge, about 4 minutes. Keep it below a simmer, especially with oat milk, which turns slimy if boiled.
2. Take the pan off the heat and add the chamomile flowers or lavender. Cover and steep for 5 minutes. Lavender turns bitter and soapy quickly, so taste it at 3 minutes.
3. Pour the milk through a fine strainer into a clean jug or back into the rinsed pan, pressing gently on the flowers to release the milk they hold.
4. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. If the milk has cooled, warm it again briefly on low heat.
5. Add honey to taste, then froth or whisk for a few seconds so the spices stay suspended. Pour into a mug and dust with a little more cinnamon.

Tips for success

• Use culinary-grade lavender sold for food. Lavender from garden centers or craft shops may be treated or perfumed.
• Keep the spices light. This is meant to be soft and milky, closer to a sweetened steamer than a spiced latte.
• Prepare a dry blend for the week: mix 4 tbsp chamomile with ½ tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp nutmeg and use 1 heaping tbsp per cup.

Substitutions

Chamomile

Rooibos gives a honeyed, red-tea flavor and stays caffeine-free. A strip of orange peel steeped with a cinnamon stick works when you have no flowers at all.

Whole milk

Oat milk is the creamiest plant option and froths well. Almond milk is lighter and lets the floral flavor come through more strongly.

Honey

Maple syrup suits the vanilla and nutmeg. A soft date, blended into the warm milk, sweetens without refined sugar.

Variations

Pink moon milk

Whisk 1 tsp freeze-dried strawberry or raspberry powder into the strained milk and add a drop of rosewater.

Blue moon milk

Steep 4 or 5 dried butterfly pea flowers with the chamomile for a soft blue color; a squeeze of lemon would turn it purple but may curdle the milk.

Cocoa moon milk

Whisk in 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa and an extra teaspoon of honey.

Troubleshooting

It tastes like soap or perfume

Too much lavender or too long a steep. Use no more than ⅛ tsp and taste after 3 minutes; chamomile is far more forgiving.

A skin forms on top

Milk proteins set as the surface dries. Keep the lid on while steeping and whisk before pouring.

Spices sink in a sludge

Ground spices do not dissolve. Froth just before serving, or steep a cinnamon stick with the flowers and skip the powder.

Storage

Make it fresh. If you prepare it ahead, refrigerate the strained milk for up to 2 days and reheat gently. Store dried flowers in a sealed jar away from light.

Safety notes

Chamomile is in the daisy family and can affect people with ragweed or related plant allergies. Honey should never be given to infants under 12 months old.