Confession Time: Eggnog edition.

I'm a little late to the game here but egg nog is one of the traditions of my family that I love the most. The home-made egg nog is so good I can't imagine tainting it's lovely flavor w/ bourbon rum or brandy, and I love all three of those.

This year we've been drinking the ridiculously expensive (by eggnog standards) Horizon organic low-fat eggnog. It's quite good.

I've also discovered that Tuaca mixes very nicely with the 'nog.

There's a family story about eggnog. I'm not sure when my father began making it, but I do remember thinking it must have been really complicated, because Mom used to clear us out of the kitchen, if not the house, so Dad could make the eggnog.

When I reached drinking age, having an eggnog with him while trimming the tree on Christmas Eve and pontificating about whatever came to mind became one of my favorite things to do.

After he died, I asked Mom about the recipe, and she said she had given it to my older brother, conveying somehow that it shouldn't be spread around. This puzzled me, but I let it go. After she died, I asked Bill for the recipe and have been making it ever since.

Turns out to be far less complicated than I had previously thought, suggesting that Mom was more protective of Dad than needed, and I should have figured that out.

It's the only eggnog I ever drink, and it's about the one thing I look on as sacred. I gave some to a co-worker one year and must have blanched when she told me that they had cut it with milk.

It does have the milk and egg portions, and the booze is 2-to-1 bourbon (Old Granddad) and cognac. (and when it's off season, my drink is most often bourbon).

Peace

Frank Moorman, skeptic

At least, for turtles.

(Friday's Over the Hedge, if you miss the link.)

That's how I usually think of eggnog, at least the carton variety. Very quick way to make a festive holiday fruitless cake, sub it for the water or milk in the recipe, and add a splof of ground nutmeg. Use the eggnog and powdered sugar to make a glaze to drop on top of the cooled cake. It's a nice, non-alcoholic, but festive-tasting item for the office potluck.

As for the alcohol, no need to spoil it with eggnog. I have too many friends who do home-brewing and -vintning, though, to get much of the hard stuff this time of year. Last night's group included at least "I can't drink this stuff, it's too high in the alcohol and I'm on call tonight" demurrer. Spiced stout. Hmmmmm.

I do have a friend in Texas (where I used to live) who would always make a couple gallons of old-fashioned eggnog for one of our parties. We had to make sure the kids didn't get within fume distance, because it was the real thing, with a token of cream (not like the recipes you sometimes find that have a lot of cream and a drizzle of alcohol - that's the base for ice-cream, not a festive beverage) and whipped eggwhites floating on top. Probably shouldn't be done without strictly known-origin eggs these days, but impressive stuff. Also not for those on call.

Yes i like eggnog.
There are kinds? I just buy one from the store. If I don't like that one I get another.

I drink one half and half with Sailor Jerry spiced navy rum. Hard to mix well but it makes the holiday more interesting. I drink too much.

The Rasmussen Clan Eggnog Recipe. Enjoy!

1. Pour glass of bourbon.
2. Pour glass of eggnog.
3. Wave eggnog above bourbon.
4. Drink bourbon while sneering at eggnog
5. Repeat as necessary until Christmas cheer ensues.

Storebought works for me as I rarely have the time to make it from scratch. Maybe next year.

What's the point if there's no booze in it? If I'm feeling expensive, I'll put Captain Morgan's Special Reserve or Appleton 12 year rum in it. With those amazing rums you can actually mix it half-and-half and not notice.

Usually it's just Captain Morgans spiced or regular Appleton rum though.

A planet-sized YES to eggnog.

From Wikipedia: "An article by Nanna Rögnvaldsdóttir, 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 a small, wooden, carved mug used to serve alcohol. [...] Yet another story is that the term derived from the name egg-and-grog, a common Colonial term used to describe rum. Eventually the term was shortened to egg'n'grog, then eggnog."

Whatever. Food of the gods, is what I think of it. Without adult-scale restraint, I could down a carton of it on one breath.

The difference between eggnog and sex is that when you're 90, you can still have eggnog.

And ... rum, I think.

No, really, I prefer the thinner "lite" eggnog. The regular stuff has too much body for me; it reminds me of mucus. (Why, yes, I do suffer from year-round nasal allergies. Whatever gave you that idea?)

I like my eggnog with gold rum, but white rum will do in a pinch.

My wife and I welcome this time of year, because we can drink eggnog guilt-free. Plus, it's about the only time of year it can be found.

As for alcohol mixed in, I'm all for it. Unfortunately, I've not found one that, when mixed (in any ratio) I truly like. I may try vanilla vodka this year, though to date (with my wife in Germany for the holidays visiting family) I haven't actually purchased any eggnog. Maybe I'll just have the vanilla vodka, mixed with my favorite diet orange(ish) soda.

But now that I think of it, I haven't tried mixing tequila with the eggnog. Hmm..

Rob Miles
--
There are only 10 types of people in the world;
those who understand binary and those who don't.

...which, making me an outcast, does nothing to change my situation. Total wash.

Yes! Si! Da! Love the stuff.

Don't care about the brand. Generic store brand works fine. We tried making it from scratch once and found the difference to be minimal.

As for alcohol, we use Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, and we use a lot of it. Regular rum is a little too stealthy -- with the body eggnog has you can get away with mixing it in 3-to-2 and be none the wiser -- so we use the Captain to give it some zing.

A bit of nutmeg on top and you're good to go!

This time of year, I'll buy a small carton of eggnog and place it in the fridge. Then, when I drink my bourbon, I'll open the refrigerator door, look at the eggnog, and think festive thoughts. On the 26th, I'll pour the eggnog down the drain and have another shot of bourbon. I love Christmas. And bourbon.

Absolutely YES on the eggnog (although I remain a heathen outcast nonetheless) and the brand doesn't matter too much. My poison of choice--as if the eggnog itself weren't threatening enough--is Myers's Original Dark Rum.

Merry (belated) Festivus!