Cooked Eggnog (With or Without Alcohol)

This recipe for Homemade Cooked Eggnog can be served with alcohol or non-alcoholic, making it the perfect Holiday drink for everyone!

Where did eggnog come from?

Eggnog literally means ‘eggs inside a small cup‘. This was a phrase that, at one point, was used to toast to one’s health.

We first find mention of eggnog as a drink in the early 19th century in both America and Britain. (In Britain the common name was an ‘egg flip’.)

Since there was no refrigeration at that time in England, eggnog was a drink of the upper class, reserved for those who could get eggs and milk and have a way to keep them from going bad.

The drink most likely originated from a hot British drink that was a mixture of eggs, milk, and ale, called posset. 

Nog was the common name at that time for a strong ale. The egg and ale of posset over time became known as ‘egg-nog’.

When the recipe for posset (egg-nog) came to the States, the liquor changed from ale to brandy or rum (which was readily available from the Caribbean). Even though the liquor changed, the name ‘egg-nog‘ stuck.

What is eggnog made of?

Come the Christmas season, I always begin to crave eggnog.  It’s just one of those festive holiday indulgences that I love.  But, it is an indulgence: heavy cream, eggs, loads of sugar. 

The real deal is incredibly tasty. How can it not be with all that richness and sugar?

When we make our own homemade eggnog, we like to stray a bit from the traditional recipe in order to lighten things up a bit. We replace the heavy cream with 2% milk. And we dial the sugar down so that you can really taste the nutmeg.

Cooked eggnog

You make traditional eggnog by whisking egg yolks together with brandy (bourbon or rum), nutmeg, and heavy cream (and/or whole milk). Then, you beat the whites from the eggs to frothy. These frothy egg whites get gently mixed into the milk and liquor mixture to give the drink a thick texture.

While, nowadays, the risk of salmonella from uncooked eggs is very slim, we like to make cooked eggnog, because it helps us lighten the recipe up a bit.

When you make a cooked eggnog, you are basically making a custard that you then thin to a drinkable consistency.

Our non-alcoholic cooked eggnog recipe

Making cooked eggnog and starting with a custard also allows us to make our eggnog non-alcoholic.

We start by making a basic, thin nutmeg custard. As the custard cools, it will thicken up just enough to need a little extra liquid mixed into it before serving.

You can choose to add your favorite eggnog liquor or milk to thin your cooked eggnog out to the perfect consistency for you!

Cheers!