I used to hate eggnog. Like hate it. Every year someone would have a carton of it (usually my MIL, hi, Debbie!) and every year I’d try it and not understand why they were still making the stuff.
One year my curiosity got the better of me and I had to know: Was real eggnog possibly as awful as the stuff in the carton? I mean, surely it made it to mass-production because at some point some people thought it was pretty tasty, right?
And oh-sweet-father-Christmas, there is definitely a reason people used to like it. A drink of frothy custardy-ness with the zing of spirits that haven’t been burned off. I mean, wow.
I’ve never had another sip of the cartoned stuff. And I’ve never stopped gushing over the homemade kind. Foodist Fridays aren’t really for recipes, but since I haven’t ventured far from this method myself, and since you do need to know about homemade eggnog, I’m sharing a recipe today. A recipe that will make you a lot of friends.
It’s taken verbatim from Fine Cooking, which I cannot recommend highly enough for excellent from-scratch recipes.
Triple-Shot Eggnog
makes 6-8 servings
Heads up: the main mixture will need to mellow and chill in the fridge for about 4 hours before finalizing and serving. So mix up the first part earlier in the day (it takes about 10 minutes) and then finish it (takes about 10 minutes) in the evening when you’re ready to serve it. Not that I’ll judge you for serving it any time of day.
3 large eggs, preferably pasteurized, separated
1â„2 cup granulated sugar, 100g
Kosher salt
1â„2 cup dark rum, 4 oz/120ml
1â„4 cup bourbon, 2 oz/60ml
2 Tbs. brandy, 1 oz/30ml
2 cups whole milk, 16oz/473ml
1 cup heavy cream, 8oz/237ml
1â„2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, plus extra for garnish
1â„2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Directions:
- Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl until they just begin to turn a lighter shade of yellow.
- Add the sugar and a pinch of salt and whisk until thick and pale yellow.
- Whisk in the rum, bourbon, and brandy until well combined and then whisk in the milk, cream, nutmeg, and vanilla until blended.
- Chill the mixture, covered, for 4 hours or overnight. Keep the egg whites chilled separately in a medium bowl.
- Before serving, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks with a hand-held electric mixer.
- Fold the whipped egg whites into the chilled yolk mixture.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with a little freshly grated nutmeg, or chill for
up to 4 hours. (Whisk the eggnog until smooth before serving.)
As with all recipes, you should taste and tweak this to your liking. We add just a tad more of almost everything except eggs, milk, and salt, just to bolster the oomph a little. If you enjoy subtle mellowness – which I commend you for – you’ll want to leave it as is.
So the question is, will you try it?
Rum, Bourbon & brandy… might I hazard a guess that the reason you find this so delicious is that you are as drunk as a skunk?
Might have to try this alongside my spicy mulled wine, for research purposes only you do see… chin chin!
Funny enough, by the time you get all that frothiness in there, each glass is manageable. Of course, the recipe makes enough for an army, so just be sure to invite one!
I have a carton of the stuff in the fridge now… Gotta give the hubs props – he sneaks crap into the cart all the time. I just told him about this homemade version and it definitely peaked his interest. We have no liquor in our home and unless I can get these varieties in small quantities, I might have to hold off on being a bartender until I can go over to someone’s home who has this stuff in stock. I am so curious to try it!
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