There’s two ways to go here…you either love this stuff or want to dump it over the heads of carolers. Regardless of your position,  it’s that time of year again when Egg Noggers dust off the cartons (and raw eggs)  and get festive.  I always get a little randy when I hear the name since the cool kids at my college referred to a blow job as a ‘Nog”. …as in, “she gives a killer nog”.  I don’t know, maybe it’s short for noggin, meaning head ? The kids at Harvard are so creative.

Egg Nog has been around for a while and most likely traveled here with the British folks who had some money and status.  The name is most likely a bastardization of a very literal description of the drink…Egg ‘n Grogg.

An early recipe shows up in Jerry Thomas’ Bartenders Guide or How to Mix Drinks (first published in 1862).:

1 tablespoon of powdered sugar

1 fresh egg

1/2 glass of brandy

1/2 wine glass of rum

A little shaved ice.

Fill the glass with rich milk and shake up the ingredients until they are thoroughly mixed. Pour the mixture into a goblet — excluding the ice — and grate a little nutmeg on top. This may be made by using a wine glass of either of the above liquors, instead of both combined.

 

 

If you’re an Egg Nog enthusiast but don’t feel like making it at home, Serious Eats has done an extremely scientific taste test of a bunch of brands.

George Washington, was apparently a pretty strong advocate of eggnog and would make his own homemade punch recipe that included rye whiskey, rum and sherry. It was supposedly pretty stiff and he would dole it out to his over  316 slaves who worked Mt. Vernon in attempt to keep them at bay while he pontificated on his support of things like freedom and liberty.