'Tis the season and all that. Inquiring minds want to know: With what do you spike your egg nog? I’m a bit of a traditionalist here in that I prefer brandy. The Takeout ranks Brandy+Rum as the Best Tasting. Friends swear by bourbon in theirs.
Neat trick, if you have an ice cream machine or a friends with one. Eggnog is pretty much ready to make into ice cream. We did this twice when we had a machine. It was the best ice cream we made.
I heartily dislike booze in my eggnog. I make chocolate eggnog sometimes, which has the option of Kahlua or espresso as an additive, which can be done after it’s made. I vastly prefer the espresso.
Spiced rum, but normally at 1/2 the amount most recipes call for. I don’t want the booze to overpower the creamy wonder of the nog, but I do like the flavor profile. It may be coincidence, but I find eggnog preferences tend to run towards rum from those who hail from the northeast, and brandy and bourbon to the south. At least in my circle of friends and foodies.
Just as important, I use raw (but pasteurized) eggs, rather than cooked. And of course, fresh grated nutmeg. Cooked eggnog is good if I’m making ice cream though. And if you make an extra eggy eggnog you can use it as a custard for some unbelievable fresh toast or bread pudding as well.
Best of all, on Christmas day, you can get drunk and fed at the same time with a few hearty glasses!
Coffee. Starbucks has been here for over a decade and only had eggnog lattes for one of those years. It’s not that popular. Two years ago we went to London for Christmas and had eggnog lattes every day.
I’m not sure I’ve ever had alcohol with my eggnog.
I made Alton Brown’s Aged Eggnog. And it’s still sitting in the fridge. I think it’s two years old, maybe older. Probably should dump it out, but I’m wondering if it’s still okay to drink. I’m a bit scare to open it.
In lieu of an ice cream maker, you could put the nog in a sealed quart freezer bag inside a gallon freezer bag, with a mix of ice and salt in between the two bags. Knead gently until you have ice cream. We used to do this with the kids when they were little (with a recipe for chocolate ice cream, not nog) and it worked pretty well. Probably should leave the booze out though, since it acts as antifreeze.
Steamed eggnog with RumChata or liquor-store eggnog (currently using a bottle of this stuff, which has bourbon, rum, and brandy in it). Gingerbread-spiced Captain Morgan works well, too.
Here in Ontario, President’s Choice eggnog from Loblaws or one of the other stores in the Loblaws group, with Bacardi amber rum (which has recently replaced Havana Club Cuban rum as my preference) is my top choice.
I’m kicking myself now for being so “responsible” that I bought only one carton of PC eggnog because it’s fattening and artery-clogging, and only one bottle of Bacardi. I am now out of both! Lots of wine, vodka, and gin, though, but none of that is particularly festive!