In November 2020, during a pandemic lockdown, I found myself wanting to experiment. Since our favorite place to buy nog wasn’t open due to COVID (shout out to Sun Liquor in Seattle!), I decided to make my own.
This nog recipe combines elements from several sources of inspiration, including historical information, recipes from Amy Pennington, Alton Brown, and Saveur, and other online recipes and articles.
Recipes for eggnog vary wildly. Some fold in freshly whipped cream or egg whites into the mixture but others feel that adds too much richness and (literal) fluff to an already perfect concoction. Some only add grated fresh nutmeg to spice it up, but others literally dump in cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice. Some add salt, some don’t. Some dump in a ton of sugar, some less. And some age the dairy with the nog, while others only age the eggs and spirits and then put it together with the dairy upon serving.
I tweaked this recipe as I went along to create what I think is the best version of what I consider to be a good nog. I opted for a more subtle spice mix, high in booze content (but well balanced), no egg whites, a medium level of sugar (I like it sweet but not too sweet), and left the whipping cream unwhipped. I do not cook it at all; scientific studies show that the mixture is safer to drink after being aged, as the booze content kills any potential salmonella. I opted to age the egg and liquor mixture together with the dairy for a well-infused flavor.
I aged it for one month. This recipe makes enough for 3 or 4 16 oz. bottles.
Ingredients
Recipes like this, where flavors are infused over time, are only as good as the ingredients you put in them, so I opted for quality, organic, and top-shelf content for this recipe.
Kitchen implements needed
* Stand mixer or hand mixer
* 2-3 large mixing bowls
* Measuring cups
* Measuring spoons
* 4 x 16-ounce airtight, leakproof bottles for storing
* A ladle and a funnel (for transferring to bottles)
* Spice grater for grating fresh nutmeg
* Space in your refrigerator for long-term storage of multiple bottles
* Some sort of labels for the bottles with the bottled date on them
Egg mixture
* 12 egg yolks (I used organic, cage-free; use the freshest eggs you can find)
* 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar (I used organic cane sugar which is a light brown)
Booze mixture
* 1 ½ cups top-shelf bourbon (I used Russell’s Reserve 10 Years aged Kentucky bourbon)
* ½ cup rum (I used Brinley Gold’s Shipwreck Vanilla Rum for some added spice)
* ½ cup quality cognac or brandy (I used Hennessy VSOP Cognac)
* 1 tsp pure organic vanilla extract
Cream mixture
* 1 ½ cups whole milk
* 1 cup half and half
* ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Spice mixture
* ½ tsp salt (do not used iodized; I used Maldon sea salt flakes)
* ½ tsp ground cloves
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* Freshly grated nutmeg (I grated about a quarter of a nutmeg into this recipe; not a ton, but enough to get a hint of the flavor; you will use more for garnish when it’s time to serve it)
For garnishing
Any of these are optional. The mixture by itself is great, but these are fun garnishes.
* Whipped cream on top of the eggnog mixture in the glass
* Some extra grated nutmeg on top
* A stick of cinnamon in the glass
Directions
- Add the egg mixture to the stand mixer bowl. If you are using a hand mixer, you will need a separate medium-sized bowl.
- Mix together the booze mixture in a large bowl or pitcher.
- Mix together the cream mixture in another bowl or pitcher.
- Mix together the spice mixture in a little bowl.
- Turn the stand mixer (or handheld mixer) to the lowest setting to mix the egg mixture (egg yolks and sugar) until the sugar is fully dissolved into the eggs (3- 4 minutes).
- Continuing with the mixer on the lowest setting, add the booze mixture to the egg mixture, a little bit at a time so that the eggs are tempered slowly by the booze. It took me a good 2-3 minutes to slowly pour it in. It might start to get a little sloshy, depending on your mixer type. If you have a splash guard for your bowl, use it.
- Add the spice mixture to the cream mixture.
- With the mixer still on the lowest setting, add the spice/cream mixture to the mixing bowl a little bit at a time until absorbed into the egg-booze mixture. It took me 60+ seconds to slowly pour it in.
- Taste the mixture and tweak the spices to taste.
- Pour into 16 oz. bottles to store and add a label to each bottle with the date of bottling. I used a ladle and a medium-sized funnel to transfer the contents from my Kitchen Aid bowl to the bottles.
- Store for at least 3+ weeks in a cold area, such as a cold garage or a fridge. (I stored them for one month in a fridge.)
- During that time, you may see it separate into layers. Gently shake and turn the bottles every couple of days to make sure every layer gets infused with the flavors.
- When you are ready to enjoy, simply pour into low-ball glasses, garnish by adding a cinnamon stick, and then grate some nutmeg on top. If you want to add whipped cream or a large, whiskey-style ice cube, you can do that as well.
Let me know if you end up making it, and if you tweaked this recipe and how that worked for you.
Cheers!
J
That Infernal Itch 