Eggnog- The Quintessential Holiday Beverage
Eggnog
Creamy, sweet, delicious eggnog, I love it and it’s been a part of my holiday repertoire for as long as I can remember. I make it with and without alcohol. I also use a cooked custard because there are children drinking this and don’t want to take any chances with raw egg. The recipe I started out with is Martha Stewarts from quite a few years ago. She did not cook the eggs. The recipe calls for separating the yolks from the whites, using the yolks in the base and whipping the egg whites with some sugar and folding it into the base. It’s frothy and creamy and sweet and really delicious. I have changed it over the years and no longer fold egg whites into my custard, I’ll save those for something else like angel food cake. After cooling the custard before serving I add a pint of vanilla ice cream or Haagen Daz makes an egg nog ice cream which is delicious. This is not a diet drink and it’s loaded with cream and sugar and is very rich. The final presentation is with lightly sweetened whipped cream on top and a generous grating of nutmeg. I usually make a very large batch using a dozen eggs, divide and add the alcohol to half and leave the other virgin. I like to use rum and cognac or brandy and in the non alcoholic version I add pure rum flavoring which I make myself by simply boiling some rum for 15 minutes to remove almost all of the alcohol. The recipe below makes a quart of egg nog base, add or deduct you really don’t need a recipe.
Makes 1 quart eggnog base
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
6-8 egg yolks (I use 8)
2 tsp vanilla extract
Place egg yolks and sugar in mixing bowl and either whisk or use electric mixer to combine the yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow. Place milk and cream on stove and heat until scalding (not boiling) add half the hot milk/cream to egg yolks whisking constantly. Pour back into pan with the remaining milk, cook on medium heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. You are making a custard, check frequently when the custard starts to thicken by dipping the spoon in the custard, swipe a line on the back of the spoon and if it stays intact the custard is done. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and transfer to a heat proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, it should sit directly on the custard and refrigerate at least 4 hours preferably overnight.
custard is done
Making the eggnog
1 quart egg nog base
1 pint vanilla or eggnog ice cream (optional)
1 cup heavy cream whipped
fresh nutmeg grated
rum extract to taste
To make boozy egg nog omit rum extract and add rum or I like to add rum and cognac or brandy. You decide how much, I like to add 1/4 cup rum and 1/4 cup brandy.
Pour the eggnog base into serving container, whip the cream adding just a little sugar. Soften your ice cream and add in scoops to the eggnog, let it melt, it’s ok. Top with whipped cream and generous grating of nutmeg. If you don’t use ice cream divide the whipped cream and fold half into the eggnog base and top with the other half.
Christmas in a bottle
apuginthekitchen 
Ahhh here is something bucking up !
Thank you, I love eggnog!!
I’m not into eggnog and actually never have liked it….. Just not a fan of eggs. However, your picture of it and the way you describe it sure makes it sound tasty. The creaminess looks amazing.
I know people that won’t drink eggnog, many have aversion to eggs. It’s definitely creamy and something I only enjoy once a year thats it, it’s so rich and well, fattening.
You know I love eggnog! This recipe is perfect!
Thank you so much.
Ah, so that’s what goes into eggnog, no wonder I love it so much. I have always wanted to try making it from scratch, I will definitely be trying this recipe sometime over the holidays, cheers!
Yes, it’s very simple. You don’t even have to cook or make a custard if you get your eggs from a trusted source. For years I used raw egg, that can sometimes freak people out so I opt for cooking now. It’s super easy to make and if you give it a try I hope you enjoy!Thank you.
You ARE an expert 🙂 Martha Stewart’s version reads a lot like AB’s. I did the white whipping, etc, and loved the fluffy it brought to the final drink. So glad to have met other eggnog fans.
I like Martha’s version although I don’t see it anymore on her site, it is however in some of her old cookbooks. Raw eggs may not be PC because of potential dangers. I am a huge eggnog fan, always have been, I can remember as a very young child it was a family tradition to ring in the New Year with some eggnog. It’s so rich but one of my favorites. Thank you so much.
This is great. I had never seen an eggnog recipe. I will make this (minus the rum) and I know I will enjoy it!
It’s really good Fae, hope you like it. Thank you!
This sounds delicious! I’m not sure I will undertake this, but still – thanks for sharing!
Thanks Anatoli, it is delicious, once a year I make it. Thats it, but I do truly enjoy.
It looks fantastic! It’s been years since I had eggnog 🙂
Thank you, I imagine in Finland you don’t drink it. It really is such a wonderful drink.
I love eggnog, but have never made my own. Maybe I will this year!
It’s really not that much work and IMHO so worth it. You can control everything from the sweetness to how thick it is. Happy Holidays Susan!
Eggnog is the best! This sounds great!
It really is, thank you so much!
I’ve never tried eggnong. It’s not very common here in Germany. We have something similar though called Advocaat (Eierlikör in German) which seems to be quite similar to eggnong but with some Brandy added to it.
Yes, I have heard of Advocaat, I add rum and brandy or cognac to mine. It’s very very rich and one can only drink a small glass but it is truly delicious. Thanks so much Julian.
It’s funny, I was thinking this is a custard. Then, that’s exactly what you wrote! It is a custard base. Purely because of that I know I would love it. And would far prefer this cooked version. I wouldn’t eat it if the eggs weren’t cooked! Unless the people making it had hens outside. Gosh, haven’t made custard in years. Still haven’t decided which dessert to go for on Christmas Day. Too many to choose from 🙂
Yes I love custard, Creme Anglais, or whatever you would call it. I also can’t make up my mind on the dessert for Christmas dinner, I also don’t know what I am making for dinner, LOL. This eggnog is really a dessert it’s so rich. Thanks Johnny.
Sounds great both ways – boozy or pure creaminess 🙂
Me too, either way is delicious. It’s just such a wonderful and totally indulgent drink! Thank you so much.
And I love your freshly ground nutmeg.
I have always wondered which ingredients are used to make eggnog. Now I know! 🙂 Holy cow! Every sip must be like a thoudand calories! 🙂 Something to indulge yourself … once a year. 🙂
Oh I don’t even want to think about the calories, yes a once a year indulgence for me, thats it. It really is so delicious. Thanks Francesca, Happy Holidays!
Loving this… and I’m glad it’s not diet!! Lol…. that would just seem a sin to me!! It should be full of calories and all of that sweet creamy goodness!! I will be trying this and will report back.. ❤
LOL, it would be wrong for this to be diet friendly. Honestly, it’s so rich it’s hard to over indulge. One small glass is sufficient. Thanks so much, would be so thrilled if you give this a try,
This sounds delicious, there isn’t a tradition of drinking egg nog here, but having read the recipe I am tempted to start one. Making rum flavouring by boiling off the alcohol is an excellent idea. 😉
Thank you, it was always a tradition in my family so I grew up with it and I continued the tradition with my family. I dislike buying rum flavoring so making my own is so easy and it works well,
This sounds like perfection in a glass. Absolutely beautiful. Christmas at your place must be pretty extraordinary!
Thank you, Christmastime is my favorite time of year.
I will definitely ry this one out. I have been seeing full on egg nog based recipes everywhere, especially in pinterest. And i was just thinkin of finding a good recipe to try it myself. And here it is. Thankyou. 🙂
It’s very good, thanks so much Sadia. If you make it I hope you like!
You know, I’ve never had eggnog Suzanne. Well, the store-bought kind with no alcohol, yes I have. And that’s probably why I’m not a fan. But if I were to try yours, with a nice splash of rum, then that’s a whole other story I’m sure!
I think homemade is so different from the kind you buy in the store. In my opinion its far superior. Yes a splash of rum and you are good to go. Thanks so much.
Ooo la la! What a wonderful eggnog recipe, Suzanne! Looks and sounds delicious – in th
Sorry, I inadvertently hit “post” too soon! I meant to say, “in the rum version for me, please!” 🙂
Yea for me too, thanks so much Stefano, Merry Christmas!
How lovely Suzanne – thanks for this recipe – I’ve never made eggnog before, but certainly enjoy drinking it! I’ll have to give it a go, with the leftover rum from the Christmas Cake – perfect! 🙂
It’s really so easy to make and so much better than store bought. Happy Holidays to you and your family!
To be honest, I’ve never been a big fan of eggnog, but I really think it’s because I’ve never understood exactly what was in it (I’ve only had store-bought versions). I think I could get on board with it if I made my own. Because when I read your post, I realized…you know what? It’s just custard!
Exactly, like having a cup of creme anglais. It’s just delicious, just made another batch for Christmas day. Have a wonderful holiday Lori, hope you have lots of family and friends and I know you will have good food.
Suzanne, this is heavenly! I’ve never really been a fan of store bought, and then my son’s girlfriend made us a gallon of homemade over the holidays and it is pure bliss! In fact, she brought us more last night so our eggnog season continues. The whipped cream and nutmeg on top are just perfect. I’m dying to try your recipe now with ice cream added. And I love how you make your own rum flavoring – I’ll be trying that, too. Hope you enjoyed lots of eggnog over Christmas!
Thanks Hannah, it’s so different from the store bought stuff. Hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year to you all!