‘Tis the season to be jolly, and this eggnog certainly helps me to be festive. One of the guilty pleasures of drinking homemade eggnog is it tastes like melted vanilla ice cream with a generous dose of alcohol.
I like to age this for at least a week. The eggnog mellows and smooths out from a little rest in the fridge, but is completely drinkable after a few hours. Drinking it right after you make it is certainly an option, but the aging helps to mellow the harshness of the booze. The longest I’ve let this age is six months, and it was delicious. I doubt I will ever again mix up a batch in the middle of a heat wave in the summer for a winter drink. Michael Ruhlman has a great post about drinking eggnog aged for two and three years.
This recipe has a lot of booze. It’s there to not only assist you towards a merry, tipsy state, it also acts as a preservative. Professor Vincent A. Fischetti of the Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Immunology at The Rockefeller University experimented with boozy eggnog. It seems that eggnog with about 20% alcohol is where most bacteria can’t live. This recipe yields 8 cups, and 3 of those are alcohol. Professor Fischetti seems like a great guy, us NYC area crassers should take him out for drinks sometime.
This recipe is based on Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller’s The Ultimate Eggnog over at epicurious. It uses whole eggs. For a recipe that uses separated eggs, see the Ruhlman link above.
I find that it is most easily made in a half gallon mason jar using an immersion blender, then covered with a plastic lid for keeping it in the fridge. Put it in a pitcher or punch bowl before serving, don’t insult your guests by serving them anything in or from a mason jar.
This eggnog contains raw eggs. If you have any qualms about raw eggs please use pasteurized eggs, or simply don’t make this.
Holiday Eggnog
- 6 large eggs
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 quart half and half
- 1 cup brandy
- 2 cups bourbon or dark rum
- freshly grated nutmeg for garnish
In large pitcher, beat eggs and sugar until pale yellow and thickened. Add half and half, and mix until well blended. Add brandy and bourbon (or dark rum) and stir. Chill at least overnight.
Serve in small cups or glasses, garnished with nutmeg.
Yields 8 cups.
Photo by yours truly.
