The eggnog of today is generally a tame affair, served around Christmas time. But there was a day when Eggnog was a hard-drinking pioneers beverage, it’s been called the antebellum “dry martini of the south”, and a favorite of military men. We have eggnog recipes from three presidents: George Washington, William Henry Harrison, and Dwight Eisenhower, and Texan prisoners held by Santa Anna made eggnog with mezcal. It even inspired a famous riot at West Point, and one of the ringleaders was a young Jefferson Davis.
Some Eggnog Recipes:
Ale Flip
The eggnog’s ancestor! Much better than it sounds.
- 2 eggs (2 yolks, one white)
- 12 oz ale (recommended: Old Speckled Hen)
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- freshly grated nutmeg
Warm beer on the stove until just steaming. While beer warms, whip together two egg yolks, one egg white, and brown sugar. When ale is warm slowly add it to the egg mixture, whipping continuously to keep the egg from cooking. Rapidly pour back and forth between two vessels (such as pots or pewter mugs) until very frothy. Garnish with nutmeg.
Source: adapted from Jerry Thomas, 1862
Jerry Thomas Eggnog
Kevin and my favorite recipe!
- 2 oz cognac
- 1 oz Santa Cruz rum (see note)
- 1 tbs fine sugar (or 3/4 oz simple syrup)
- 1 whole egg
- 2 1/2 oz whole milk
- freshly grated nutmeg
Stir sugar into 1 tbs water, or use simple syrup. Shake all ingredients (except nutmeg) well with ice until egg is completely pulverized, strain and garnish with nutmeg.
Sometime between 1862 and 2016 Santa Cruz rum ceased to be. We used one part funky Smith and Cross to two parts clean Havana Club Añejo, which I found very agreeable. David Wondrich has a more complicated formulation in Imbibe! But any amber rum should do in a pinch.
For Jerry Thomas Sherry Eggnog, replace the cognac and rum with 4oz sherry. Kevin and I were not fans of this variant however.
Source: Jerry Thomas 1862, via Imbibe! by David Wondrich
General Harrison’s Eggnog
I’m unconvinced that general/briefly President William Henry Harrison actually consumed said eggnog but it is quite good.
- 8oz hard cider (recommended: Downeast)
- 1 whole egg
- 1/2 tbs sugar
Shake well with ice until egg is completely pulverized, strain.
Source: Jerry Thomas 1862
“Breakfast Eggnog“
From the Savoy Cocktail Book, tastes like an orange creamsicle
- 1 1/2 oz brandy
- 1/2 oz orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
- 1 whole egg
- 4oz milk
Shake well with ice until egg is completely pulverized, strain. Garnish with nutmeg.
Source: Henry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book
Dr Rebecca Lancefield’s Aged Eggnog
- one dozen eggs
- 1 qt heavy cream
- 1 qt light cream
- 2 cups bourbon
- 1 qt rum
- fresh nutmeg
- sugar to taste (1/2 – 3/4 lbs)
Recommended Sources
Books:
- Agnew, James. Eggnog riot: The Christmas mutiny at West Point. Presidio Press, 1979.
- Wondrich, David. Imbibe! Perigree, 2015.
- Will-Weber, Mark. Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt. Regnery History, 2014.
- Thomas, Jerry. Jerry Thomas 1862 Reprint: How to Mix Drinks or the Bon Vivant’s Companion. Value Classic Reprints, 2016.
Web:
- “Mier Expedition”. website of the Texas State Historical Association. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qym02
- Koren, Resnick and Berman. “We Made Dwight Eisenhower’s Eggnog”. The Atlantic, from the archives of the National Journal. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/12/we-made-dwight-eisenhowers-eggnog/454314/
- “Antedating Eggnog”. LanguageHat. http://languagehat.com/antedating-eggnog/
- “17th Century English Recipes”. Gode Cookery. http://www.godecookery.com/engrec/engrec.html#beverages (Includes Posset)
- “An Eccentric Character” in The American Museum or Universal Magazine. September 1790. pp 141 (story about the old sea captain unable to adjust to life on land). Available on Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=Zv1GAAAAcAAJ&pg=RA3-PA142&dq=eggnog&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwip4eO- leHQAhUKsFQKHapgDzYQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=eggnog&f=false)
- Weld, Isaac. Travels through the North American States and the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada During the Years 1795, 1796, 1797. mention of eggnog on pp 98. available on Archive.org (https://archive.org/stream/travelsthroughst01weld#page/98/mode/2up)
- Green, Thomas Jefferson. Journal of the Texian Expedition Against Mier. Harper and Brothers, 1845. description of mezcal eggnog on pp 259. Available on Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=bb4rAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA259&dq=mier+expedition+eggnog&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjhtbuYiZPRAhVr6YMKHbaHBAoQ6AEIIjAB#v=onepage&q=mier%20expedition%20eggnog&f=false)