# Proper ratio of red wine to egg nog. (Hint: It's zero) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 27, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729 "2021-12-27T14:29:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/21 "2021-12-27T19:43:44Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I’m not sure there’s anything wrong with her. Seems to me that she has an experimental nature, and a proper scientific attitude. Thrifty too, when you can do it with someone else’s wine and eggnog. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/22 "2021-12-27T20:02:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It’s not outside of the realm of plausibility that the flavors of wine and eggnog might complement and improve each other. > > And of course, it’s also not outside the realm of plausibility that they might clash. One doesn’t know in advance. And one can’t go by somebody else’s opinion, because different people have wildly different ideas about what tastes good and what doesn’t. > [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Thrifty too, when you can do it with someone else’s wine and eggnog. That’s also a point. The maximum potential negative cost to her was one sip of something that didn’t taste good. Nobody, hosts included, had made a trip to the store – around here it would take two stores – in order to buy an entire bottle of wine and an entire container of eggnog in order to try the experiment. (Presumably Experimental Aunt didn’t pour the whole bottle of wine into her glass, and had already drunk at least most of her eggnog.) Even the time and water cost of rinsing out the glass or taking a new one was nonexistent, because there was already eggnog in the glass; so given that she wanted wine, the issue of the extra glass to wash existed anyway. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/23 "2021-12-27T20:21:26Z")
I don’t need to try to know that it would be horrible, because I’ve occasionally (and unwisely) during the holiday season had wine after I had had eggnog, and it made even excellent wine taste like crap until I could get my taste buds cleared. I can’t properly articulate the reasons that wine and eggnog are so incompatible, but they are basically just opposites, and not in a good way. Wine has clean and subtle flavours that are often complex; eggnog is heavy, sweet, and almost cloying. Mixing them should be a crime. Brandy and rum work with eggnog because they have a strong, sharp taste with (paradoxically) an undercurrent of mellow that creates a nice blend that is less cloying than plain eggnog, IMHO. Even so, I generally can’t handle more than one small glass, which I generally follow up with straight rum to cleanse the palate. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/24 "2021-12-27T20:27:52Z")
The University of Kentucky quarterback puts mayonnaise in his coffee, which may be even more gross than mixing eggnog and wine. > **[Kentucky Wildcats QB Will Levis creates Twitter beef between mayonnaise brands](https://www.prweek.com/article/1729888/kentucky-wildcats-qb-will-levis-creates-twitter-beef-mayonnaise-brands)** > > Kentucky Wildcats QB Will Levis creates Twitter beef between mayonnaise brands. From PR Week I have some leftover free-range chicken broth from making jamabalaya for Xmas. Would that be a tasty addition to either wine or coffee? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/25 "2021-12-27T20:56:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Nothing to me about the combination of red wine and egg nog seems prima facie to be automatically disqualifying. Man, it does to me 😀. A light touch of Port or some other sweet dessert wine? Yeah okay, maybe. Though I’m still a bit dubious. But a Côtes du Rhône or something? Bleargh! Sounds positively disgusting and I absolutely refuse to open my mind on this one. I gotta go with msmith537 here - he needs to divorce his wife post-haste 🤪. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/26 "2021-12-27T20:57:48Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > But a Côtes du Rhône or something? Bleargh! Sounds positively disgusting and I absolutely refuse to open my mind on this one. As I said in two posts – it depends on the wine. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/27 "2021-12-27T21:00:57Z")
Has anyone here ever had freshly made zabaglione? (French name = sabayon) Egg yolks, sugar, and marsala. It’s heavenly. I watched some practically do the When Harry Met Sally while eating it. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/28 "2021-12-27T21:02:35Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I can think of a number that I think would go well in an eggnog, like perhaps a Glenmorangie. That would work along with other Highland Scotch’s that are not sherry cask aged. I nice pure single malt. The light fruity notes would work well with nog. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/29 "2021-12-27T21:06:04Z")
Sounds like she was just having a bit of holiday fun, being open to new ideas. Maybe cheer the life of any joyless, angry pedants that might have been in the room. Were there any? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/30 "2021-12-27T21:12:28Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > As I said in two posts – it depends on the wine. Yes, you did 🙂. But it’s the mental imagery with me because even though they are red wines, I don’t actually think of dessert wines as “red wine”. They’re sort in their own distinct mental category. A “red wine” to me is a table wine with some tannin, even if just a hint. I just can’t get over the mental hurdle of the concept of the combo of tannic and creamy. But what do I know - I also hate dill on fish 😃. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/31 "2021-12-27T21:18:08Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > But what do I know - I also hate dill on fish 😃. Do you like dill on anything? I understand not liking dill, but dill + fish kind of go hand-in-hand for me (though I usually have fish without any sort of dill.) And, yes, I did also say something low in tannins. A white wine would definitely be more appropriate with egg nog, in my opinion, but I’ve had low-tannin wines like pinot noirs, lambruscos, and portoguiesers that I think would go fine. (I’m somebody who personally likes high-tannin reds.) ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/32 "2021-12-27T21:23:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Do you like dill on anything? I understand not liking dill, but dill + fish kind of go hand-in-hand for me Well, there are pickles. I’ve also had some potato salad with a light hand on the dill that I thought was pretty good. But generally, no - not a big fan on proteins in particular. I basically never buy or use it. Marjoram is kind of my go-to on fish. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/33 "2021-12-27T21:31:43Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > defeats the purpose of drinking the wine This was really the foundation for my revulsion with your wife’s auntie. I generally let people live how they want. But if you’re at my house and red wine is made available to you, it’s there to be enjoyed as a red wine. If you want hard nog I’ve got a selection of very old rums and gin that haven’t seen light for maybe 5 years, but someone put some effort into the wine. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/34 "2021-12-27T21:37:42Z")
My mom is 92yo. She rarely has a small glass of gin with ice. When nearly done, she sometimes asks me to top it off with some of my beer. She’s 92. Whatever floats your boat. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/35 "2021-12-27T21:50:00Z")
Anyone who is 92 and enjoys gin is entitled to have it topped off with whatever the hell she wants! 😄 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/36 "2021-12-27T22:23:06Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Marjoram is kind of my go-to on fish. Interesting. I’ve never tried that on fish. I just finished a Polish soup for lunch that is rather marjoram forward (zurek/rye meal soup). It’s a taste I most closely link with pork or beef but I’d be curious to try it on fish, which I’m used to having paired with brighter, grassier herbs. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/37 "2021-12-27T22:24:32Z")
I’ve had juniper flavored beers before, so it’s not so crazy. I’d certainly have no problem doing it with something like an IPA, either, in addition to an American macro brew, where it will actually give the beer some flavor. From experience, I will say don’t top off your gin with cream soda, though. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/38 "2021-12-27T22:33:35Z")
I recall, many years ago, in a fashion similar to the evil Aunt of the OP, I insisted on trying red wine mixed with Coke. It turned out to be a pretty good way to make otherwise intolerable bottles of wine drinkable. Now decades later, it is a [drink apparently.](https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/a35886556/kalimotxo-red-wine-and-coke-recipe/) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/39 "2021-12-27T22:39:16Z")
I remember once when I was about 18, just of legal age to drink in my country. It was around Christmas, and my parent had a few bottles of various stuff they didn’t normally have. I tried a vodka and orange juice. I found it underwhelming. Maybe if I’d used freshly squeezed, rather than out of a carton. I then hit upon the bright idea of adding a dash of port to the mixture. The result was not great. I remember this because my mother suggested a great name for the cocktail. She said I should call it a left-handed screwdriver. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729/40 "2021-12-27T22:56:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > And a lot would depend on the wine. Something really tannic? Probably not so good. Something unoaked with more fruity flavors? May work fine. That list above prefers red wine over vodka, scotch, and light rum in egg nog. But I ask, what scotch? I can think of a number that I think would go well in an eggnog, like perhaps a Glenmorangie. Scotch is apparently acceptable with egg nog. I happen to have a bottle of Glenmorangie 14 handy. It actually does seem to go well with egg nog. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proper-ratio-of-red-wine-to-egg-nog-hint-its-zero/956729.md?page=3)