You Only Need 3 Ingredients For Korean-Style Strawberry Milk

Since the borders among Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z are already so blurry, you might as well group them together as the Nesquik Generation, since almost all of us enjoyed childhoods fortified by cups of milk infused with the brand's classic powdered mixes. Though chocolate was our favorite, a smaller percentage of us remained loyal to strawberry. Sweet and tart with a weirdly accurate taste, it turned our milk a vibrant shade of pink eerily similar to the Millennial pink that saturated everything in the mid 2010s.

The good news is that there's a very simple, delicious way to recreate this experience as adults, and it doesn't involve trying to figure out whether Nestlé changed the recipe. Strawberry milk has been popping up in Korean cafes every spring for years now, and is now taking American palates by storm. The best part is that the recipe couldn't possibly be simpler, requiring only strawberries, sugar, and the milk of your choice to come together. Just be sure to choose the best, ripest strawberries at your grocery store, as they'll dictate the flavor of the whole drink.

Once you have all your ingredients, dice the strawberries into fairly small pieces, and stir in an equal amount of sugar, or slightly less, depending on your personal preferences. Allow the berries to macerate, which will draw out their juices and create a delicious strawberry-infused syrup, then add a few spoonfuls to the bottom of your favorite glass, top with dairy or non-dairy milk, stir, and enjoy!

Other than ensuring your berries are ripe and that you use the right amount of sugar, the best way to pump up the volume on the flavor of this drink is to make sure all of your ingredients are ice cold. Milk should always be refrigerated, but you should also macerate the berries in your fridge to chill the syrup before you use it — you can even chill your glass. Not only will using cold ingredients keep your drink chilled for longer, it will also help bring out the nuances of the berries' sweet, tart, and floral flavor.

Something else to consider is what kind of milk you'll use. Though strawberry will always be the predominant flavor, oats will bring a slight sweetness of their own, while almond milk has a slightly nutty flavor, both of which could pair very nicely with strawberries. If you go with plant-based milk, be sure to choose an unsweetened variety, as the macerated berries will already provide plenty of sweetness.

Since freeze-dried strawberries offer an intensely delicious berry flavor, you might also consider making your own strawberry drink mix to have on hand even when strawberries are out of season. Just crush the freeze-dried fruit into a powder, mix with sugar, and mix with milk using a blender or milk frother whenever cravings strike. This might also be a great way to make other flavored powders for fruity milk, such as blueberry, banana, or peach.