Holiday Egg Nog (adult kine ya)

Egg nog holds a special place in my heart. I always know the Holidays are coming when it becomes available. You can bet your tiny hiney that the moment I see it appear, it’s going in the grocery cart.

Sometimes, I like my egg nog to be an adult beverage. But for me, adding rum or brandy or what have you to grocery store nog just doesn’t do it for me. A few years ago, a friend that I worked with suggested that I just make my own.

So, I set out to do just that. I had tried a few different recipes. One required me to separate the eggs, combine the yolks with the milk and cream, whip the whites with sugar into a meringue, and fold the meringue into the yolk mixture. It was a bit time consuming, and considering I let my egg nog sit in the fridge to let the alcohol mellow for a few weeks, all that work ended up being for naught. That frothiness from all that folding and such just dissipated after a day or two. I found another recipe, which I didn’t try at the time, that required a pasteurization process. Essentially, it was a crème anglaise with nutmeg and added booze to it. Like I said, I didn’t try it because it wasn’t for me at the time.

That same friend that suggested I make the nog ended up suggesting a blog he followed which had a recipe worth trying. I haven’t looked back since. Looking at his website, you’ll see that his recipe isn’t pasteurized or cooked in any way. Considering the amount of alcohol, it shouldn’t be an issue. I’ve made it before, let it sit in the fridge for three weeks, and consumed it with no issues whatsoever.

However.

Last year I made the same recipe, as usual. I made about a gallon of which was going to be for a Christmas party I was having. The plan was to let it age in the fridge for about three weeks (more on why later.) A couple weeks in, I wanted to sample it to see how it was tasting. That very night, into the next day, I got very violently ill. Now, to this day, I still don’t believe that it was the egg nog that made me sick, but rather the questionable week old leftovers that I had eaten all day instead. However, I could never actually rule it out as being the culprit. The only way I would have been able to, was to sample some more. I was not prepared to endure another 24 hours of feeling like death, nor was I willing to potentially subject my guests to a potentially sickening concoction, so I reluctantly decided to dispose of the whole batch. No homemade egg nog for me last year 😦

This year, I’m not taking a chance. I’ve taken the super simple, easy peasy, and fantastic recipe that I’ve been using and decided to pasteurize it. If you want to be safe, I can show you how to do it without making scrambled egg nog. If you want to be a little risky, I can show you that too.

This nog can be consumed 24 hours after it is made. But I highly recommend that you give it at least 14 days in the fridge. Reason being, the strong alcohol will actually smooth out and mellow over time, leaving less of a bite, and more of the flavor behind. Alcohol has a higher evaporation rate than water, so you’ll actually lose a little volume in alcohol. Don’t worry, though, your egg nog will still be plenty strong.

Holiday Egg Nog

Makes about a gallon

Ingredients:

• 12 each eggs
• 18 ounces of Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons of Nutmeg, fresh grated
• 6 cups of Whole Milk
• 3 cups of Heavy Cream
• 12 ounces of Brandy
• 8 ounces of Spiced Rum
• 4 ounces of Bourbon

Easy Unpasteurized Method

Directions:

1. Crack eggs in a blender and blend for about a minute.
2. Slowly add in sugar while still blending.
3. Add nutmeg, milk, cream, and all the alcohol and continue to blend for another minute.
4. Done. Refrigerate for 24 hours to two weeks.

Most blenders won’t hold a gallon, so you will likely need to do this in halves.

Not So Easy Pasteurized Method

Directions:

1. Combine milk, cream, and sugar in a large stainless pot. Scald this mixture (bring up to about 200 degrees F, or until it starts to steam but not simmmer) stirring occasionally.
2. In a large metal bowl, beat eggs together.
3. When milk mixture is ready, slowly ladle about a third of it into the eggs while whisking vigorously to avoid scrambling the eggs. This is called “tempering”. Once tempered, whisk the remaining milk into the eggs.
4. Make a double boiler by simmering about two inches of water in a wide mouthed pot and placing the metal bowl over it. Slowly bring the egg mixture up to 160 degrees F while constantly stirring slowly with a spatula and scraping the sides. If you have ever made a crème brulee mix or crème anglaise, this is the same exact method.
5. Once the mixture has reached 160 degrees F, strain it into a container that will hold a gallon.
6. Add the grated nutmeg and whisk in the alcohol.
7. Allow to cool slightly before covering and refrigerating, again for 24 hours to two weeks.

Either way you prepare this, make sure to take it out and whisk it together daily, as egg nog tends to separate. Especially the unpasteurized version.

Oh, and be sure to use some decent quality booze in this. At least something that you could stand to drink on it’s own. I threw in Knob Creek bourbon, E&J XO Brandy (not great but not bad), and a pretty decent black spiced rum called The Kraken.