Egg Nog- Cocktail of the Month: December

Egg Nog has a long and storied history.  It can be traced to medieval times, when monks drank a milky ale with eggs. Over time the recipe transitioned to what we would consider a traditional egg nog, and then transitioned again to what you buy in the store - which has no “nog” and minimal egg. After researching (we just can’t help it!) and reassuring ourselves that the salmonella risk was minimal to non-existent, we set out to find a “traditional” egg nog recipe to try.

We discovered an authentic recipe "written by George Washington's own hand” (https://www.almanac.com/content/george-washingtons-christmas-eggnog), and decided out of the plethora of options, this was one we had to try!  We reduced the recipe from the crowd sized portion of Mount Vernon’s heyday, to a manageable family or small get together size, and then got started! Our helpful hints and lessons learned are included in parentheses!

Our Recipe

2 eggs

2/3 cups heavy cream

2/3 cups milk

2Tbs sugar

1/3 cup brandy

1.5 oz bourbon

1.5 oz rum (we used Goslings Black Seal, use any dark Caribbean Rum)

0.5 oz sherry

Mix egg yolks and sugar with a hand mixer until frothy.

Mix in dairy to egg yolk mixture.

Add mixed liquors slowly while beating so that they do not cook eggs (if you add the alcohol too quickly, the eggs will literally cook- this is why the salmonella risk is minimal- a slow, steady pour will work fine).

Over-beaten whites, Oops!

Beat egg whites (after they have sat and reached room temperature) just until stiff peaks form - do not overbeat! (If you put them in a KitchenAid and walk away or work on something else they WILL overbeat.  They will be very stiff, and it will be much harder to fold them in without lumping). 

Fold into yolk mixture.

Refrigerate to set a few min, hours, days (We chilled for about an hour- mixture will start to separate, but you can shake the container to remix it).

It will mellow with time, (our research indicates that people keep egg nog for a year or longer; we kept it for about a month, the flavors did mellow and mix more over time)

This made 3.5 measuring cups full.

Overall, it was much easier to make egg nog than we anticipated, and it was delicious! The mix of liquors created a blended flavor that did not overfocus on any particular flavor , and the final drink was not nearly as sweet or heavy as the commercially available options. If you love egg nog, definitely give this a try, if you have never really liked it, mix some up and see if it changes your mind!  Note: We found this drink goes quite nicely with a roaring fire in the fireplace!



Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Cheers!

Stacy and Christine