Holiday Egg Nog Recipe
Chan Peterson is a San Antonio based wine consultant and educator. Through his consultancy, World of Fine Wining, he works with clients to curate their cellars, teaches for the Napa Valley Wine Academy and conducts tastings and wine oriented dining experiences and events. He holds an Advanced Certificate and Educator Certificate from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) and is a certified Fine Vintage Sommelier.
Always happy to field your wine questions and interests, Chan can be reached directly via his email address, [email protected], through his Instagram page, @worldoffinewining, or his Facebook page, Fine Wining.
Egg Nog, you either love it or…. And, while it may play to mixed reviews, lovers of fine spirits (and spirited celebrations) have long appreciated this traditional holiday tipple. As rich, and as rich in calorie and cholesterol count as it may be, it enjoys an equally rich history….
Most agree Eggnog’s roots trace to medieval Britain where monks concocted a brew of hot milk curdled with wine or ale and flavored with spices. In the 13th Century the drink was known as Posset, often consumed with eggs and figs. The alcohol content was thought to keep the brew safe from spoiling and a “healthy” alternative to other drinks of the time. Moving forward to the 17th Century the brew, now favored by the British aristocracy who could afford the ingredients, began to take on a more familiar mix: heated cream, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, egg yolks and whites and spirits familiar to British trade routes – brandy, and fortified sherries and madeiras. The drink’s popularity crossed the Atlantic to the American colonies in the 1700’s and rum – not subject to the heavy taxes levied by the Crown on brandy and wine – became the spirit of choice. Farm and dairy products, plentiful in the colonies, added to the affordability and popularity of the drink which was frequently consumed during fall and winter, and as a celebratory centerpiece of the winter holidays. With the onset of the Revolutionary War rum became increasingly expensive and Bourbon emerged as the favored spirit base for Eggnog – as it remains today in the American south.
Eggnog has had its fair share of celebrity fans throughout American history. Foremost among them, George Washington, who served visitors his personal recipe calling for: “One quart cream, one quart milk, once dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, 1/ pint rye whiskey, ½ pint Jamaica rum, and ¼ pint sherry”. The recipe instructs cooks to “mix the liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, and mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently.”
Fast forward 33 presidents later and the 34th president, Dwight Eisenhower, gets into the act with his personal interpretation: “Put the dozen eggs in an electric mixer. Feed in 1 pound granulated sugar very slowly so as to get a completely smooth clear light mixture. When this is perfectly smooth, begin to add the bourbon very slowly. (The process to this point normally consumes at least 30 minutes – with a good mixer). Add one quart of coffee cream. Put the whole thing in the ice box until a half hour before serving, at which time one quart of whipping cream should be beaten until only moderately thick. Be careful not to get it too thick. Mix it slowly into mixture and serve with nutmeg.”
No history of Eggnog would be complete without mention of the 1826 Eggnog Rebellion at WestPoint. Earlier that year the academy’s superintendent, Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, had forbidden the purchase, storage or consumption of alcohol – in part to discourage the consumption of Eggnog during the holiday season. This was not well received by the Cadets who staged a drunken, Eggnog laced rebellion on Christmas Eve – smashing furniture, bannisters, plates and each other. Nineteen cadets were disciplined, 11 were expelled. One who escaped punishment was Jefferson Davis who later became president of the Confederacy.
And what about the name – where did the name Eggnog come from? One theory has it deriving from the Old English word for strong beer, another from noggin (a word for a small wooden cup), and another from Colonial America where colonists referred to thick drinks as grogs and eggnog as egg-and-grog. Webster attributes the first use of the word as an American invention influenced by British origins.
In our family homemade eggnog has been an on-and-off holiday tradition drawing on an original, third generation hand me down copy of Esquires Handbook for Hosts (copyright 1949). And, if I’ve successfully whetted your appetite, here’s the version I prefer:
BALTIMORE BOURBON (with Bourbon)
Ingredients
1 dozen fresh eggs separated
1 dozen tablespoons granulated sugar
1 pint best bourbon whiskey (medium to full bodied)
1 pint heavy-bodied bouquet rum (Jamaican)
1 wineglass peach brandy
1 wineglass madeira (optional)
1 quart milk
1 quart cream
Grated nutmeg to taste
Directions
Separate egg yolks, beat them and add to them the sugar, working it in gradually; then half of the milk. Still stirring, insert the whiskey and the rum. Let stand 15 minutes or so to give these elements a chance to get will acquainted; then add the other half of the milk, and also the cream, likewise the peach cordial and (optional) madeira. The whites of the eggs which have undergone a separate beating till stiff, are now folded into the mixture. Age 3-14 days in the fridge, stirring daily (tasting encouraged). Serve with a light shower of nutmeg.
A couple of tips: 1) The better the bourbon, the better the rum, the better the Eggnog; 2) Beating, stirring, folding, combining and timing as outlined in the recipe are important – don’t take short cuts; 3) Ageing improves the quality of the brew and stirring is essential during this time.
So, here’s to hoping you’ll have the fortitude to pass up the commercial stuff in the dairy case this year. Take time to reflect on the history of this very British, very American drink. Put to work your culinary patience and inspiration and bring this holiday tradition into your home. CHEERS!!!!
