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DairyAlcohol-freeHigh confidenceStandard, well-documented cocktail ingredient.

Condensed Milk

Condensed milk is cow's milk with most of its water removed and heavily sweetened, producing a thick, syrupy, intensely sweet dairy product. It is shelf-stable in its can until opened. It adds both sweetness and creamy body in a single ingredient, popular in Vietnamese- and Southeast Asian-inspired coffee cocktails.

very sweetcreamythickmilky

Allergens: dairy

Common uses

  • sweetener and creamer in coffee-based cocktails
  • adds body to dessert-style shaken drinks

Buying & storage

A few days: Good for a few days refrigerated, then noticeably duller. Worth planning a second drink around rather than throwing away.

Storage: refrigerate after opening in a sealed container and use within a couple of weeks

Before it goes

Use up condensed milk

Ranked by how much of it each drink uses and how little else it needs — the ones at the top will not send you back to the shop.

Recipes

Cocktails containing this ingredient

Swap it

Possible substitutions