From the back streets of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter to the streets of Glasgow, you’ll hear the purring of a panther roaming wild and free.
Once upon a time in 1920’s Spain, General José Millán-Astray the founder of the Spanish Foreign Legion wanted a drink that was easy to produce and could be served to his men in ‘any situation’.
With time spent in some of the harshest environments, such as deserts, the drink needed to have a good shelf life and be easy to reproduce. The tale goes that the General approached legendary barman Perico Chicote at the Ritz Hotel in Madrid, to forge such a beverage.
While the idea of Chicote solely aiding in ‘Leche De Pantera’s’ creation makes a great story, most agree that the Legion themselves had the biggest hand in bringing the mixture back from the front to the bars of the world. Injured soldiers would mix medical-grade alcohol with condensed milk for quick pain relief and later, once out and about, gin and other common liquors.
PANTHER M*LK
It was all those years ago that the legend of the ‘Leche De Pantera’, was born and it was on the backstreets of Barcelona where Paul Crawford would discover it. It is a concoction that would inspire him to create Panther M*lk the World’s First Oat Milk based cocktail brand.
Panther M*lk comes in a number of different flavours and has a secret blend of premium spirits including: overproof spiced rum, white rum, gin, brandy, Minor Figures oat milk and condensed oat milk.
They also happens to be the most fiercely unique drink brand currently on the market, not to mention vegan friendly as well. Based in Glasgow, Crawford and his team have created something that has brought a wildly exciting new flavour to the UK, and everything from its taste to branding makes it stand out from the crowd.
The brand logo is a nod back to the fun, glamour and spirit of the 1920s when ‘Leche de Pantera’ was first popular in Spain. The team also took inspiration from various cigarette cards of that era featuring sleek panthers, geometric forms and, sunburst motifs. It all combines to create a luxurious art deco style design, featuring an elegant panther and, a butterfly basking in glorious rays of the sunshine.
We may not be blessed with the searing heat of Spain as the temperatures cool somewhat over the winter months. However, Panther M*lk delivers gloriously on the demands that General José Millán-Astray once made all those years ago: ‘Give me a drink for any climate!’
Panther M*lk has done exactly that and they explained to The Atlantic Dispatch how to concoct a variety of cocktails that will have you purring like a jungle cat this Christmas and, all the way into 2023
What is the perfect Christmas Day Panther M*lk concoction? And how is it best served?
This Christmas swap your morning coffee for the Gingerbread Panther Latte and turbocharge your day. Heat up 100ml of Panther M*lk Coffee, add a generous glug of gingerbread syrup, top with whipped cream and a festive gingerbread man for dipping.
Who would be your 3 ultimate Christmas Day celebrity guests and what Christmas Day Panther M*lk cocktails are you whipping them up and why?
Honey Dijon – We hope Honey would deal with the playlist for the day and get everyone out of that post-Christmas dinner slump. We would serve her the Chocolate Orange Panther, a mix of Panther M*lk Vanilla, Cointreau and Creme de Cacao, a drink as silky smooth as Honey’s mixing.
Ricky Gervais – No Christmas Day is complete without arguing with a family member, but what about this Christmas Day we invited Ricky Gervais over to do the healthy ‘debating’ with our family, especially on the topic of veganism?! We think he would be a right laugh and for a personality as fruity as his we would serve him Panther M*lk Banana, super chilled and straight out of the bottle.
Prince – Don’t think we need to explain why we want Prince at our Christmas Day, the man was a total legend. We would serve him up a Boozy Hot Chocolate using Panther M*lk Mint, a drink as cool as he was! We would hope he’d treat us to one of his famous impromptu 3 hour sets as a thank you!
What Panther M*lk cocktail would you recommend taking in the new year with? And how is it best made and served?
The Panther M*lk Espresso Martini is the best party pick me up! Just shake two shots of espresso with 100ml of Panther M*lk Vanilla or Panther M*lk Coffee, strain into your favourite cocktail glass and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Party perfection that will take you through to the early hours of the morning.
What are you recommending to somebody who is tasting panther M*lk for the first time?
For Panther M*lk newbies we would suggest drinking Panther M*lk super chilled out of the fridge. For people who like the dilution you can add ice, or our perfect serve is 100ml of any flavour shaken up with ice and strained into a cocktail glass for an extra creamy mouthfeel. In Spain where the drink originates, they always top ‘leche de pantera’ (Panther M*lk) with a dusting of cinnamon which brings out the flavours of the spiced rum.
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With thanks to the Panther M*lk team for their time. For more information on the brand visit here