A History of Eggnog
Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson enjoyed the eggnog I made for them during the holiday season, particularly when I included some of the good doctor’s fine French cognac. I find that while many people take delight in eggnog, just as many abhor it. The origins of the festive beverage intrigued me, so I decided to look into it. I was surprised to learn that it began in Britain in Medieval times and other more curious stories. I am also able to provide 2 recipes for today’s home cooks that is suited for 21st century tastes and safety concerns.
Posset pot, 1710 (Source: The MET)
Culinary historians debate eggnog’s exact lineage, however, most agree eggnog originated from the early medieval British drink called posset. It was made with hot milk that was curdled with wine or ale and flavored with spices. In the Middle Ages, posset was considered to have medicinal uses such as a flu remedy which I will discuss shortly. Posset was popular from medieval times to the 19th century. Today posset is a set dessert, not unlike panna cotta or clotted cream. Eggs were added to some early posset recipes and by the 13th century, monks were known to drink a posset with eggs and figs. A 17th century recipe for "My Lord of Carlisle's Sack-Posset" uses a heated mixture of cream, whole cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, eighteen egg yolks, eight egg whites, and one pint of Sack wine (a fortified white wine related to sherry). Eventually, sugar and ambergris were added. Ambergris is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whale – often known as whale vomit. It was used for medicines and potions and as a spice with animal musk also stirred in. Posset was traditionally served in two-handled pots.
The drink was particularly popular among the aristocracy, who had costly posset pots made of silver and who further developed a new recipe. The evolution of posset using milk, eggs, and sherry were foods of the wealthy, so eggnog was often used in toasts to prosperity and good health. Those who could, used even more costly spirits and mixed the eggnog with brandy or Madeira wine to make a drink similar to modern alcoholic eggnog.
Eggnog was carried to North America by colonists and the military in the 18th century and was very popular there among noteworthy people. By the late 18th century the name eggnog became commonplace.
Records show that the first US president, George Washington, served an eggnog-like drink to visitors which included one quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, 1/2 pint rye whiskey, 1/2 pint Jamaica rum, and ¼ pint sherry. The recipe instructs cooks to mix the liquors first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks and mix well. Then add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in a cool place for several days. Taste frequently. The recipe did not specify the number of eggs to use, however modern chefs estimate approximately one dozen.
Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederate States of America in 1861. Davis was among the seventy cadets who took part in the Eggnog Riot of 24–25 December 1826. (Source: Wikipedia)
The eggnog riot, sometimes known as the grog mutiny, was a riot that took place at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, on 24–25 December 1826. It was caused by a drunken Christmas party in the north barracks of the academy. Two days prior to the incident, a large quantity of whiskey was smuggled into the academy to make eggnog for the party, giving the riot its name.
The riot eventually involved more than one-third of the cadets by the time it ceased on Christmas morning. A subsequent investigation by academy officials resulted in the implication of 70 cadets and the court-martialing of 20 of them along with one enlisted soldier. Among the participants in the riot – though he was not court-martialed – was future Confederate States President Jefferson Davis.
In a similar way to how posset was drunk as a cold remedy in the Medieval era, there is evidence that eggnog was still used in the 19th Century as a medical treatment. An 1892 scientific journal article proposes the use of eggnog to treat flu, along with ammonium chloride to treat the cough and quinine to cure the illness. Doctors also believed the drink was an ideal way to deliver prescriptions and nutrients for those on liquid diets. They included eggnogs as part of a convalescent diet for patients recovering from typhoid fever, dysentery, diphtheria, operations, ulcers, and tuberculosis. Eggs consist of proteins, fats, and essential vitamins, and support many vital bodily functions. Warming spices, including nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and cayenne have beneficial properties for health, providing relief to stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and flatulence. An 1884 hospital eggnog recipe for patients in A Nurses Journal said, “To a tumblerful of milk add one egg, well beaten; sweeten to taste. Add a tablespoonful of brandy, whisky or port wine.”
Some recent home recipes call for the eggs to be separated so that the egg whites can be whipped until they are thick; this gives the drink a frothy texture. Based on these ingredients, eggnog is almost identical to ice cream. It is technically just a stirred custard made of milk and egg. Homemade recipes may also use vanilla ice cream blended into the beverage, particularly when the goal is to create a chilled drink. There are some recipes that call for condensed milk or evaporated milk in addition to milk and cream. While some recipes call for unwhipped heavy cream, in some recipes, whipped cream is added to the mixture, which gives it a frothier texture. Various sweeteners are used, such as white sugar, brown sugar and maple syrup.
There are variations in ingredients in different eggnog recipes. Traditional eggnog has a significant fat content, due to the use of cream, and a high sugar content. Ingredients vary significantly between different recipes. Different spirits are used in different national and regional versions of eggnog. They may include brandy, cognac, bourbon, whisky, sherry, rum and grain alcohol.
A Canadian chef notes that consumption of homemade eggnog has declined. One reason is that the beverage is expensive to make, due to its use of substantial quantities of cream, eggs, sugar and spirits. Health concerns about the safety of raw eggs may be another reason. And it has many calories, fats and carbohydrates.
Interestingly, the history of non-dairy eggnogs goes back to 1899 when Almeda Lambert, in her Guide for Nut Cookery, gave a vegan recipe for "Eggnog" made using coconut cream, eggs, and sugar.
Whether homemade or commercial eggnog is being served, toppings may be added, such as grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon, whipped cream, a cinnamon stick, chocolate shavings or a vanilla pod. Eggnog can be served in glasses, mugs or stemmed brandy snifters.
Vintage postcard, circa early 1900s
Alcoholic beverages, generally brown, aged spirits such as bourbon, brandy or rum are added during preparation or directly to the cup after the nog is poured. For example, for rum, some recipes specify dark rum or spiced rum, for extra flavor. A few recipes suggest Baileys Irish Cream liqueur, apple brandy or even Guinness stout as the alcohol.
The drink is more popular in the United States in the 2000s than the United Kingdom, despite the fact that it was developed in Britain and then transplanted to the American colonies in the 1700s. As of 2014, Canadians are drinking less store-bought eggnog.
Today, Eggnog is served around the world, complete with regional variations. Mexican eggnog (“rompope”) has hints of Mexican cinnamon and vanilla, and rum or grain alcohol. Puerto Rican eggnog has a tropical feel to it: rum, fresh coconut juice or coconut milk. Peruvians make their eggnog (“biblia con pisco”) with pisco, a pomace brandy. Germans enhance eggnog with an egg liquor (eierlikör): made with evaporated milk and rum, eierlikör is creamy and thick with a custard taste. Other versions of German eggnog include drinks made with beer (“biersuppe”) or white wine (eierpunsch”), flavored with sugar, cloves, tea, lemon or lime juice, and cinnamon.
If you enjoy eggnog this season and choose to make your own from scratch remember never to use raw eggs to prevent food poisoning! The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends you use pasteurized shell eggs, liquid or frozen pasteurized egg products, or powdered egg whites.
Cooking the eggs is another option. This is done by tempering eggs with warm dairy to slowly heat them to a safe temperature. The eggs are gently cooked to 160 Fahrenheit which will kill any potential bacteria.
These tips will help ensure you’re consuming your eggnog safely:
Use pasteurized eggs: Pasteurized means that a product has been sterilized using heat or irradiation to make it safer for consumption. If you use pasteurized eggs, you won’t need to do any further cooking when making eggnog.
Use egg substitute: Most if not all egg substitutes are pasteurized, so they’re safe to use without heating.
Cook to 160 degrees: If you don’t use pasteurized eggs, you can simply heat the egg mixture to 160 degrees to kill off any harmful bacteria in the eggs. You’ll want to cool it down in the refrigerator, so dividing the mix into a few shallow bowls will help it cool more quickly.
In addition to food safety, be careful about the amount of liquor you include in any alcoholic versions of eggnog. As a sweet drink, it might be easy to over-consume alcohol when drinking eggnog with spirts. Start small with your additions of rum, whiskey, and bourbon — you can always add more if you’re looking for a stronger taste.
Eggnog recipe
May be doubled or tripled
Ingredients
6 large egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups 2% milk
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For topping if desired: sprinkling of ground cinnamon or nutmeg, dollop of whipped cream
Mode
Whisk yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until light and creamy
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cream, milk, nutmeg and salt. Stir often until the mixture reaches a bare simmer.
Add a large spoonful of the hot milk mixture to the bowl of yolks whisking vigourously. Repeat, adding a spoonful at a time to temper the eggs.
Once most of the milk has been added to the eggs pour the mixture back into the saucepan on the stove.
Whisk constantly for a minute or so until the mixture is just slightly thickened and it reached 160F. It will thicken more as it cooks.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and spirits if using (see note).
Pour eggnog through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher or other container and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate until cooled. It will thicken as it cools. If you want a thinner, completely smooth consistency add entire mixture to a blender with 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk and blend until entirely smooth.
Serve with toppings.
Notes: Store in fridge for up to 1 week. If you want to add spirits start with ¼ cup of brandy, bourbon, rum (dark or light or spiced) or whisky at the same time you add the vanilla extract or after cooling, add more to taste.