How’s Your Drink: Homemade Eggnog

Once the gifts are unwrapped, the ham’s in the oven, and the in-laws are heavily sedated, the wintry mix calls for one thing: homemade eggnog.

If you think eggnog comes from Braum’s and tastes like melted ice cream, then you’re gonna be surprised to learn that the real recipe is lower in fat (and calories) but big on flavor.

Real egg nog is easy to make, but it involves a little effort.

To put that in perspective, you’re going to spend four hours preparing a holiday turkey but then you’re thinking about pouring liquid gold out of cardboard container? What a tragedy!

Here comes EscapeHatchDallas to the rescue.

First, prepare a homemade vanilla meringue by beating 4-5 egg whites with a ½ cup of sugar until the meringue is barely stiff  (save the yolks because they come into play a little later). Next add a dash of vanilla extract and whip until it peaks.

Next combine the following into a Boston Shaker:

1 ½  oz. Cognac

½ oz. Aged Rum (I like Ron Zacapa Solera Gran Reserva)

1 oz.  whole milk

½  egg yolk

¼- ½ oz. simple syrup

Dollop of vanilla meringue

Pinch of nutmeg

Dash of vanilla extract

Add ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds and strain into your favorite highball glass. Finish with one (or two) more dollops of meringue and another pinch of nutmeg

Rick Turner is a Certified Specialist in Spirits  (Society of Wine Educators) and a Certified Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers). He writes about cocktails for EscapeHatchDallas. In his spare time, Turner is the general manager of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Dallas.