Eggnog: spirits of the holidays

By ANNE WILLARD

Eggnog, America’s traditional brew for the holiday season, has a venerable history. It is a descendent of a hot British drink called posset, which consisted of eggs, milk, and ale or wine. In the Americas, the drinking of eggnog dates back to 1607, when it was drunk by the residents of Jamestown, as reported by Captain John Smith. It was apparently in this country that rum was replaced for ale or wine to create the modern concoction.

George Washington himself had a recipe for eggnog, found among the papers in his kitchen, reprinted below. With a combination of rum, brandy, sherry, and whisky, it appears to have been a particularly potent brew. By the late 1800s, the drink had already been adopted as a favorite for the holidays. An English visitor reported in 1866 that “Christmas is not properly observed unless you brew egg nogg for all comers; everybody calls on everybody else; and each call is celebrated by a solemn egg-nogging...It is made cold and is drunk cold and is to be commended.”

Holiday serving ideas

Any holiday party can be enhanced by an eggnog bar, giving your guests a place to congregate and exercise their creativity. Just provide a vat of eggnog, either homemade or store bought, and leave the spirits out. Then provide an assortment of liquor, including rum, brandy and whisky, as well as liqueurs such as creme de mint, amaretto, Sambuca, peppermint schnapps and Kahlua for flavor. In addition to holiday cups and napkins, set out stirrers—cinnamon sticks and candy canes will provide extra flavor. Provide an assortment of spices and flavorings such as nutmeg, cinnamon and cocoa powder. Flavored syrups such as hazelnut, mocha, almond, amaretto and peppermint may be substituted for liqeuers.

Make a printed “menu” of suggested eggnog variations for guests to try. The following suggestions come from Webtender.com.

• Black Christmas: Mix 1 1/2 ounces of Black Sambuca into a glass filled with 6 ounces of eggnog; stir.

• Kahlua eggnog: Mix 1 ounce of Kahlua with 4 ounces of eggnog; stir and sprinkle with nutmeg.

• Southern Santa: Fill a highball glass halfway with ice. Add 1 1/2 ounces of coconut rum, fill glass to top with eggnog, stir in grenadine to desired color (no more than 1 ounce).

• Trogg’s Nog: Fill glass with ice, pour 1 ounce of Grand Marnier and 1/2 ounce of white Creme de Cacao over ice. Fill glass with eggnog and stir.

• Eggnogtini: Fill cocktail shaker 1/2 way with ice, add 1 ounce of Frangelico and 2 ounces of eggnog, shake, shake, shake and then pour into a martini glass and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Frozen Eggnog Ring

A frozen eggnog ring can be used to keep your eggnog cold. The following recipe is courtesy of the American Dairy Association.

Ingredients:

red candied cherries

green spearmint leaf candies

2 cups eggnog without spirits

2 cups milk

Decorate bottom of a 4 1/2-cup ring mold with candied cherries and spearmint leaves. Combine eggnog and milk. Gently pour a small amount of eggnog mixture into mold. Freeze until solid. Pour in remaining eggnog mixture. Freeze several hours or overnight. Dip frozen ring into hot water and carefully unmold into punch bowl. Serve immediately.

Eggnog for kids

The following recipe is courtesy of the American Dairy Association.

This eggnog not only has a flavor that is more pleasing to children, it is also egg free, making it 100 percent safe from possible salmonella contamination. Eggnog-flavored extract or oil is available from several manufacturers, but if you cannot find it locally, rum or maple-flavored extract can be used in its place. You can also use eggnog ice cream in place of the vanilla ice cream and extract if it is available in your area.

Yield: 8 servings

1 quart softened French vanilla ice cream

2 cups milk

2 tsps eggnog extract

1 1/2 tsps freshly ground nutmeg additional nutmeg

Combine all of the ingredients in a large punch bowl until the ice cream melts just enough to form a very thick drink. Immediately pour or ladle into glasses and dust with additional nutmeg. Serve cold.

Traditional eggnog

Our traditional eggnog recipe comes from Stanley Harper, whose credentials we felt uniquely qualify him to come up with an exceptional concoction: he is co-owner of Narrowsburg Wine and Liquors and an accredited chef and proprietor of the newly opened Main Street Café.

1 dozen eggs*

1/2 tsp.salt

2 1/4 cups sugar

2 cups bourbon

1/2 cup rum

1 quart milk

2 tbsps vanilla extract (do not use imitation)

3 pints heavy cream

nutmeg to taste

Beat egg yolks and salt in large mixing bowl. Slowly add 1½ cups sugar, and continue beating until thick and pale. Stir in bourbon, rum, milk and vanilla until well mixed.

Beat egg whites until foamy. Slowly add ¾ cup sugar, and continue to beat until the mixture is stiff and all the sugar has been incorporated.

Whip heavy cream until stiff. Fold egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture, then fold in whipped cream. Taste and add more sugar or bourbon if necessary. Sprinkle top with nutmeg. Must be refrigerated until ready to use.

Makes 8 quarts.

*Eggs used in recipes like this that are served raw should always be pasteurized to avoid risk of salmonella.

Eggnog Cheesecake

For an eggnog-inspired dessert, we asked Lori Peterson of The Crafter’s Village, Honesdale, PA, which features a variety of homemade pastries.

1 1/2 pounds of cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup of sour cream

1/2 cup eggnog

3 eggs

*Optional nutmeg to shake on top of cheesecake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream the cream cheese with a blender until smooth. Add the sugar, sour cream and eggnog one at a time beating until the mixture is once again smooth. To the batter beat in one egg at a time.

When the batter is smooth, pour into either a homemade or store-bought graham cracker crust. Lightly sprinkle with nutmeg (optional).

Bake cheesecake for 1 hour. When the hour is up, shut the oven off, open the door of the oven but leave the cheesecake in until it cools.

George Washington’s Eggnog

Ingredients:

2 cups brandy

1 cup rye whiskey

1 cup dark Jamaica rum

1/2 cup cream sherry

8 to 10 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 quart milk

1 quart heavy cream

1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

1 cinnamon stick

Mix liquors first in a separate container. Separate yolks and whites into two large mixing bowls. Blanch egg yolks (beat adding in sugar until the mixture turns a light yellow). Add liquor slowly to egg yolk mixture, continuing to beat (mixture will turn brown) until well incorporated. Add milk and cream simultaneously, slowly beating the mixture. Set aside.

Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into the alcohol mixture. Add nutmeg and cinnamon stick, and stir well to incorporate. Cover mixture in an airtight container.

Allow egg nog to cure undisturbed for several days (4-7) in the coldest part of the refrigerator, or outside in a very cold (below 40 degrees) place. The mixture will separate as it cures. Reincorporate mixture before serving cold.

Makes 6 quarts.