Eggnog – Recipes, Ingredients, Styles, etc.

[Scott S]

Chow: Best Eggnog

http://www.chow.com/recipes/10758

Is it safe to use raw eggs in eggnog?

http://www.chow.com/stories/10224

FWIW.

[cookman]

If you read the text that accompanies the recipe, the author maintains that the alcohol content of 21% is more than enough to kill off any bad bacteria. Hmmm. If he's wrong, a lot of NPR readers are going to have a stomach ache or worse on Christmas!

[Morgan_Weber]

A friend of mine made a batch of the aged eggnog a couple of weeks ago. As of today, he said its still looking fine. Our plan is to break it out over New Years. He said it was very boozey when he first made and tasted it. He used the above-mentioned recipe from chow.com.

[limewine]

I put up a batch of the aged eggnog from CHOW last night; if I wait the suggested three-week minimum, that means it'll be ready to dip into on Christmas Eve.

After reading old food & drink manuals in which our ancestors related eating and drinking much, much dodgier-sounding concoctions (Cock Ale, anyone?), I figured I'd take a stab at the eggnog, keeping a wary eye on it throughout the aging process and prepared to bail out at the faintest whiff of something gone awry.

[eje]

Advocaat and Rompope (rumpope) are both preserved egg and cream liqueurs.

Can't say they appeal.

[pziemba]

I made the chow.com recipe for aged egg nog back in mid October, and aged it for about 4 weeks in the fridge before breaking it out for a thanksgiving dinner.

The recipe calls for a tremendous amount of booze, even considering the gallon of liquid you end up with. An entire liter of bourbon and a cup or so each of rum and cognac. In this sense, it's a lot more like what I'd suppose is a traditional egg nog - a liquor drink that happens to be mixed with eggs & cream and sugar, rather than today's grocery store egg & cream and sugar drink that's optionally mixed with liquor.

My advice, if you're using chow's recipe, is to absolutely employ the "optional" whipped-up egg whites and whipped cream folded in right before serving. If anything, this will increase the richness and dissuade people from having too much. Chow might say that end ABV is 21%, but I found that the aging masks the alcohol just enough so that you don't realize how much booze you're drinking. We had one guy at our party conk out after one glass!

That said, it tastes amazing. Boozy, sure, but the flavors really meld together and create a taste I can't imagine getting without aging. I was never really concerned that it might spoil, and anyway you should be able to tell if something went wrong when you open the container to serve it.

[TBoner]

I wish I could say I had something constructive to offer, but this thread calls to mind a very unfortunate discovery I once made. As a habit, I hunt up dusty bottles of bourbon, Scotch, and rye. Occasionally, something else spectacular will cross my path ($15 Cardenal Mendoza, anyone?). Usually, many spectacularly awful things turn up. I've seen some ancient, sludgy bottles of Boggs' Cranberry Liqueur on more than one occasion.

But the worst find ever was a 25-30-yo tax-stripped bottle of Mr. Boston's Egg Nog. What little alcohol there was in it had done nothing to preserve the remaining ingredients. Not a pretty sight (unless green, brown, purple, and yellow is the color palette you favor).

Still, I'd not be opposed to trying an aged egg nog. Not sure I'd want to waste the liter of bourbon if it didn't work out...

[limewine]

Still, I'd not be opposed to trying an aged egg nog. Not sure I'd want to waste the liter of bourbon if it didn't work out...

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Oh, I downsized the recipe -- considering the look my wife gave me when I proposed the idea, and the general squeamishness of the extended family, it sounds like I'm drinking this myself -- so I'm only gambling about a cup of bourbon, plus an ounce or two of rum and cognac. Plus, y'know, my health.

[Robert Heugel]

Still, I'd not be opposed to trying an aged egg nog. Not sure I'd want to waste the liter of bourbon if it didn't work out...

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Oh, I downsized the recipe -- considering the look my wife gave me when I proposed the idea, and the general squeamishness of the extended family, it sounds like I'm drinking this myself -- so I'm only gambling about a cup of bourbon, plus an ounce or two of rum and cognac. Plus, y'know, my health.

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3 weeks later...Cocktail Chronicles goes quite. I pass on the aged egg nog.

Haha, j/k; you are all braver than me, please make sure to keep us posted.

[Jean Parquette]

I've made it before Thanksgiving and drank it at easter. Delish.

[Chufi]

My family recipe comes from a clipping of an old Four Roses Whiskey advertisement.  The opposite side of the page has an advertisement "introducing the 1939 new Ford."

6 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 pint heavy cream

1 pint milk

1 pint Four Roses (I use a good Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey)

1 ounce Meyers Rum

Grated Nutmeg to taste

Separate eggs. Add 1/2 cu. sugar to the yolks and beat until smooth. Add 1/2 cu. sugar to whites after beating very stiff. In a large bowl or punch bowl, mix egg whites with yolks.  Stir in 1 pint heavy cream and 1 pint milk. Add the whiskey and rum.  Stir thoroughly. Serve cold with grated nutmeg. Serves 10

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just a quick question about this eggnog.. I need to make it tonight for serving tomorrow. Will it be ok with the beaten eggwhites? I've never had 'real'eggnog so I'm not exactly sure what kind of texture I'm aiming for. I assume the beaten eggwhites add creaminess more than air (if you're supposed to 'stir thoroughly').

Won't the beaten whites make it watery if it sits overnight?

[feste]

just a quick question about this eggnog.. I need to make it tonight for serving tomorrow. Will it be ok with the beaten eggwhites? I've never had 'real'eggnog so I'm not exactly sure what kind of texture I'm aiming for. I assume the beaten eggwhites add creaminess more than air (if you're supposed to 'stir thoroughly').

Won't the beaten whites make it watery if it sits overnight?

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I've never made this recipe but, yes, egg whites will tend to separate. A little cream of tartar might help, but if possible, make everything today except keep the whites aside, refrigerated, overnight. Then whip them up and fold them in as close to serving as possible.

For people who have enjoyed family recipes that are made in large batches, is egg white separation a problem? Or do you just give it a quick stir before serving?

Good luck!

[slkinsey]

We always make that recipe "a la minute" since it only takes around 3 minutes to stir the ingredients together. My experience with the day-old leftover eggnog is that it's okay but nothing like it was when it was fresh. For sure you need to whip the egg whites right before you serve it. The idea is that the egg whites form a kind of frothy "raft" that floats on top of the liquid. (We rarely make less than a double batch at a time, and in our holiday party are likely to go through 4-6 batches at least -- this in addition to multiple gallons of Fish House Punch.)

Edited October 29, 2008 by slkinsey (log)

[Keith Orr]

Shop Egg Nog

Ingredients:

12 Egg yolks

1 c Sugar

1/4 ts Salt

3 c Bourbon

2 c Brandy

1 c Dark rum

2 quarts half and half

12 Egg whites

1/2 c Sugar

Instructions for Egg Nog

Beat yolks until very light with about 1 cup sugar and the salt. Add half and half - combine and stir until well mixed Add booze and beat well.

Beat eggwhites with 1/2 cup sugar until stiff peaks and float on top of the rest of the mix

Store in a cold cellar for a week. Serve with freshly-grated nutmeg. The egg nog should be ladled from the bottom of the bowl, and never stirred, in order to maintain its layered quality.

We used to serve this at the shop Christmas Party until drinking on the premises was banned. It's best with a week of aging, but I've served it the same day with no complaints....at least until they wake up the next day.

Edited October 29, 2008 by Keith Orr (log)

[Mattmvb]

From Wikipedia:

It is believed that eggnog, or a very similar drink, originated in East Anglia, England. An article[1] by Nanna Rognvaldardottir, an Icelandic food expert, states that the drink adopted the "nog" part of its name from the word "noggin," a middle English phrase used to describe the strong ale, with which it was sometimes mixed. Another name for this English drink was "Egg flip".

The ingredients for the drink were too expensive and uncommon for the lower classes, but it was popular among the aristocracy. "You have to remember, the average Londoner rarely saw a glass of milk," says author and historian James Humes ("To Humes It May Concern", July 1997). "There was no refrigeration, and the farms belonged to the big estates. Those who could get milk and eggs to make eggnog mixed it with brandy or Madeira or even sherry."

Thank you, I have e-mailed them all the link.

Although it doesn't really explain why it's not popular there anymore. I assume that most Londoners have fairly free access to milk these days.

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I have a feeling that its current lack of popularity may have something to do with Edwina Curry - a health minister in the mid-late eighties. She made a statement in 88 which said that the majority of British eggs contained salmonella and followed on to say that consuming raw eggs will make you very ill.

Although we soon received rather more accurate advice it seems to still be a big part of the British psyche: raw eggs = food poisoning. The majority of customers will still stay away from any drink with egg in it, to the point that a vast quantity of sours sold over here have no egg white, and it doesn't seem to make any difference if you explicitly state that it's pasteurised.

That said, these very same customers will also have heaps of Mayo on their food...

[Wild Bill Turkey]

I finally think I'm getting somewhere with this drink.

I've tried a few different ingredients and ratios. I set out to create an eggnog cocktail that I could shake up in a minute without the imposing list of ingredients in real eggnog.

I based it on the ratios of the Alexander, but split the 1 oz of liqueur from that recipe into two half-ounces of different liqueurs.

The Noël Cocktail

1 oz Bourbon (something smooth)

1/2 oz Benedictine

1/2 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

3 good dashes Angostura bitters

1 oz heavy cream

Shake like crazy to froth the cream

double-strain

dust w/ ground nutmeg

I think it really captures the feel of eggnog, but it's just a few seconds away. To my taste, I could beef up the bourbon to 1 1/2 ozs, but a few folks I've offered it to, who thought from the first impression that it would be traditional nog were taken back a little by how boozy it turns out to be in the finish. It isn't eggnog, it's a cocktail.

This is the first cocktail I've ever dared to post. Tweaks or comments, please.

[edit- oops, I left the bitters out of the photo]

Edited November 8, 2008 by Wild Bill Turkey (log)

[bolognium]

Hi! Paulius from The Velvet Tango Room here. I make eggnog throughout the holidays. Last year we were batting close to a thousand with this recipe. I keep a kitchen-aid mixer with a whisk attachment for this purpose specifically.

All of the ingredients, including the liquors must be thoroughly chilled.

12 eggs / 2 cups sugar / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract / 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg / 1+1/2 cup brandy / 2/3 cup Cruzan Navy Strength rum / 8 cups half&half.

Beat eggs for 2-3 minutes on medium untill they are frothy.

Gradually beat in sugar, vanilla and the nutmeg.

Turn the mixer off, and stir in the cold brandy, rum, and half&half.

DONE!

Serve it all as it tastes best fresh. (This is usually not a problem)

I cant tell you how many people turn their nose up at eggnog untill they try the real deal. They are the unfortunate victims of the curse of store-bought "eggnog" that (horrors!) expires around Easter and has the consitency of pancake batter.

[Jaymes]

They are the unfortunate victims of the curse of store-bought "eggnog" that (horrors!) expires around Easter and has the consitency of pancake batter.

And that actually is very good for making French toast.

[slkinsey]

12 eggs / 2 cups sugar / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract / 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg / 1+1/2 cup brandy / 2/3 cup Cruzan Navy Strength rum / 8 cups half&half.

Interesting how a lot of these recipes differ in alcoholic strength. Both of our recipes call for a pint plus one ounce of booze, although yours has considerably more dark rum (mine is a pint of bourbon plus one ounce of dark rum). But your recipe has exactly double the nonalcoholic ingredients: 4 pints of half & half whereas mine has 2 pints; a dozen eggs whereas mine has a half-dozen; 2 cups of sugar whereas mine has 1 cup.

[bolognium]

12 eggs / 2 cups sugar / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract / 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg / 1+1/2 cup brandy / 2/3 cup Cruzan Navy Strength rum / 8 cups half&half.

Interesting how a lot of these recipes differ in alcoholic strength. Both of our recipes call for a pint plus one ounce of booze, although yours has considerably more dark rum (mine is a pint of bourbon plus one ounce of dark rum). But your recipe has exactly double the nonalcoholic ingredients: 4 pints of half & half whereas mine has 2 pints; a dozen eggs whereas mine has a half-dozen; 2 cups of sugar whereas mine has 1 cup.

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Hmmmmm. Mine is not super boozy, but it has a good kick. I double checked the recipe too. Now I have to make it asap. ....just to make sure... yummmmmm

[bolognium]

They are the unfortunate victims of the curse of store-bought "eggnog" that (horrors!) expires around Easter and has the consitency of pancake batter.

And that actually is very good for making French toast.

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I never thought of that. I guess it would be good, but still, all of those preservatives and assorted wonk....

[Jaymes]

They are the unfortunate victims of the curse of store-bought "eggnog" that (horrors!) expires around Easter and has the consitency of pancake batter.

And that actually is very good for making French toast.

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I never thought of that. I guess it would be good, but still, all of those preservatives and assorted wonk....

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You don't put that much eggnog into the French toast, so I don't think it's an issue. However, I don't go buy that stuff just to put into the French toast. That's how I use it up when somehow or another (like a gift, or after a party when someone else has brought it), I wind up with some. However, commercially-, freshly-made eggnog from premium dairies can be very good, with very little, if any, "assorted wonk." And it's a way to avoid the worry of using fresh eggs.

But over the holidays I do often use my homemade eggnog for French toast. It's a kind of a tradition in our household.

And the rest of the year, I frequently use melted vanilla ice cream.

Edited November 15, 2008 by Jaymes (log)

[Chris Amirault]

I made Dale DeGroff's recipe from his new Essential Cocktails: six eggs, separated, quart of milk, pint of cream, cup of sugar, 8 ounces of booze. I used bourbon (Wild Turkey 80 -- wish it had been 101) and rum (some Cruzan blackstrap and amber). I also added a couple of ounces of homemade pimento dram, which was just the thing.

[slkinsey]

Some Egg Nog related science:

http://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/watch/10186

[Chris Amirault]

If you're having trouble with the link, rest assured that scientists at Rockefeller University using an egg nog recipe with 20% alcohol found zero salmonella after weeks in the fridge. And with a cup of cheer, indeed!