Mastic Spiced Hot Milk

Name: Mastic Spiced Hot Milk
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 18 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 8 small tears (about ¼ tsp) (1 g) mastic tears (Chios mastic resin), frozen or well chilled for 10 minutes if possible; 1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar, for grinding the mastic; 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk, cold; 1 stick (3 inches) (3 g) cinnamon stick, about 3 inches / 7.5 cm long; 2 pods (½ g) green cardamom pods, lightly crushed to split open; 2 tbsp (42 g) honey, runny, plus more to taste; ½ tsp (2½ ml) orange blossom water; 1 tbsp (8 g) unsalted pistachios, finely chopped, for garnish (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A fragrant Greek-inspired hot milk gently simmered with mastic resin, cinnamon and cardamom, then finished with honey and a splash of orange blossom water. Piney, floral and soothing, it's perfect for a cold evening.

Prep: 8 min
Cook: 10 min
Wait: 5 min
Total: 23 min
Makes: 2 mugs (about 1 cup / 240 ml each)

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Steps

Before you start

Mastic tears turn gummy and stick to everything if ground alone, so you grind them with the sugar. Keep both dry and cold.
Use whole milk for the best body and flavor. Lower-fat milk works but tastes thinner.
Orange blossom water is potent. Measure it exactly and add it off the heat so its aroma isn't cooked away.
Warm your mugs with hot tap water while the milk steeps.

1
Grind the mastic
- Put the mastic tears and sugar in a mortar.
- Pound and grind with the pestle for about 2–3 minutes until you have a fine, pale powder with no visible chunks.
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Ready when: The mixture looks like fine, slightly clumpy powdered sugar with no glassy bits.
Tip: If the mastic starts to smear, chill it for 10 minutes and add a little more sugar from the measured amount.
2
Combine in the pot
- Pour the cold milk into the saucepan.
- Add the mastic-sugar powder, cinnamon stick and crushed cardamom pods.
- Whisk or stir for 15 seconds to disperse the powder.
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Ready when: The powder is mostly dispersed with only a few specks floating on top.
Tip: Starting with cold milk lets the mastic disperse before it softens and clumps.
3
Warm until steamingOven 170°F / 75°C
- Set the pan over medium-low heat.
- Stir frequently, scraping the bottom, for about 4 minutes until the milk is steaming and tiny bubbles form around the edge (about 160–170°F / 70–75°C).
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Ready when: Steam rises steadily and small bubbles appear at the edge, but the milk is not yet boiling.
Tip: Don't walk away. Milk scorches on the bottom and boils over quickly.
4
Simmer gently
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Keep the milk at a bare simmer, with only an occasional bubble, for 6 minutes.
- Stir every minute or so.
- Lift off any thick skin that forms.
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Ready when: The milk smells resinous, piney and sweetly spiced, and the mastic specks have melted away.
Tip: A hard boil can make the milk taste cooked and the mastic bitter, so keep it to a bare simmer.
5
Steep off the heat
- Remove the pan from the heat and cover it.
- Let the milk steep for 5 minutes so the flavors deepen.
- Meanwhile, warm your mugs with hot tap water, then pour it out.
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Ready when: The aroma is noticeably stronger and the milk is hot but no longer bubbling.
6
Strain the milk
- Pour the milk through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean jug or directly into the warmed mugs, discarding the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and any mastic bits caught in the strainer.
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Ready when: The strained milk is smooth with no flecks or pod pieces.
7
Sweeten and perfume
- Stir the honey into the hot milk until fully dissolved, then stir in the orange blossom water.
- Taste and add another teaspoon of honey if you want it sweeter.
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Ready when: No honey streaks remain, and a floral note comes through over the piney mastic.
Tip: Add the orange blossom water last. Boiling it dulls its fragrance, and too much tastes like soap.
8
Garnish and serve
- Divide between the 2 mugs if you haven't already, sprinkle with chopped pistachios if using, and serve right away while hot.
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Tip: Stir once before sipping, since honey and spice can settle at the bottom.

Good to know

Tips

Grind the mastic with sugar and keep it cold, or it will gum up the mortar and clump in the milk.
Mastic is strongly flavored. Stick to the amount given, since more makes the drink bitter and medicinal.
A bare simmer on low heat is better than a boil for a clean, sweet flavor and no scorching.
For a frothy top, whisk the strained milk vigorously for 20 seconds or use a handheld frother before adding the garnish.

Make ahead

You can grind the mastic with the sugar up to 1 week ahead and keep it in a small airtight jar in the fridge. You can also make the whole batch (through straining, before adding honey and orange blossom water) up to 1 day ahead and reheat it.

Storage & reheating

Best served immediately. Cool leftovers, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days (a thin skin may form, so stir or strain it). Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between. Do not freeze, as the milk may separate.

Substitutions

whole milk → Unsweetened oat milk or almond milk. Use a barista-style oat milk for the creamiest result. Keep the heat low, as plant milks can separate if boiled.
honey → Maple syrup or sugar. Use the same amount. The flavor will be slightly less floral.
orange blossom water → Rose water. Use ¼ teaspoon, as rose water is stronger, or leave out for a more purely resinous drink.
green cardamom pods → A small pinch of ground cardamom. Use about ⅛ teaspoon and strain well, since ground spice leaves sediment.