Cereal Killer

It’s magically delicious

Are you one of those people who drinks every drop of your cereal’s milk after all the cornflakes are gone? Christopher Walker, beverage director of the Cypress Bar at the Southern Hotel in Covington, has just the drink for you. Inspired by New York chef Christina Tosi’s cereal milk dessert, Chris thought “Why not add booze?”  Chris loves the creative side of bartending.  “It’s immensely satisfying to come up with something in my brain, try it out, and then it’s on a menu!” he exclaimed. “People think it’s magic.” One “magical” ingredient is the cereal milk, which Chris assures you will want to keep around for morning coffee as well as this drink. However, creativity isn’t Chris’ only job benefit.  “I love getting to know people,” he said. “My dad was an Episcopal priest… who knew everybody whenever we went out. I thought that was so cool. Now I get to experience that and it’s so enjoyable.” 


  1. Using beaters can make whipping cream too stiff. Instead, take a cocktail shaker and fill halfway with heavy whipping cream. If you like, add a few teaspoons of the tea maple syrup. Shake vigorously until the consistency is loosely whipped. 
  2. Make sure the cereal is crushed very finely or it can fall off while you are drinking. 
  3. Use vanilla rum in place of regular vanilla in baking recipes. Substitute the vanilla rum in other rum drinks where you would like vanilla, like a rum and coke.

Cinnamon Toast Punch

1 1/2 ounces Brinley Shipwreck vanilla rum (see below)
1/2 ounce Frapin VSOP Cognac (or any VSOP Cognac)
1/2 ounce Midnight Rain Tea maple syrup (see below)
2 ounces cereal milk (see below) 

Garnish: Crushed cereal, cinnamon, whipped cream and charred cinnamon stick

Moisten the outside rim of a coupe glass and coat only the outside rim with crushed cereal. Shake rum, cognac, syrup and cereal milk with ice. Strain into the garnished coupe. Top with loosely whipped cream and dusting of cinnamon. Char one end of a cinnamon stick for five to 10 seconds and stick the burnt end down into a cocktail. If making a batch in a punch bowl, just add two uncharred sticks to the bowl. 

Midnight Rain Tea Maple Syrup 

16 ounces maple syrup
4 teaspoon Midnight Rain Tea *
4 ounces boiling water

Heat the syrup over medium high for 10 minutes, let cool for 20 minutes. At the same time, combine boiling water with the tea. Let sit for 15 minutes. Strain tea. Combine tea and cooled maple syrup. Syrup keeps 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

* Midnight Rain Tea is available from the English Tea Room in Covington. Don’t worry, they ship! 

Cereal Milk 

1 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
2 cups milk (any kind, but whole milk preferred)

Put cereal and milk in a bowl. Put a weighted plate on top to submerge cereal. Let steep 30 minutes and strain, pressing on cereal with a wooden spoon to extract all flavors. Milk keeps for eight days in the refrigerator. 

Vanilla Rum

If you can’t find vanilla rum, you can make your own.

Place two vanilla beans in a bottle of rum for 5-7 days. Store in a cool dry place. Shake once a day. Taste after five days. Let sit longer if stronger flavor is desired. Remove vanilla beans for another use. 

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