Eggnog for Two

To be perfectly honest with you, I have never really liked Eggnog…….until now! Eggnog is traditionally made with cream, milk, sugar, whipped eggs and some kind of spirit; typically rum, bourbon or brandy.  As a child I thought it was gross, thick and mucous-like! As a teen it became a temptation of sorts because I knew it was served with alcohol but I wasn’t of legal drinking age to partake at the holiday parties.  I still thought the beverage was too mucous-like,  that somehow didn’t stop me from sneaking a sip or twenty and vomit usually ensued.  As an adult I learned I had issues with dairy so I decided to avoid it.  Plus there was that whole, it made me vomit as a light-weight teenager thing! Also I have never been a big fan of brandy, bourbon or rum whether of drinking age or not. so it seems like all the odds are stacked against this holiday beverage.

I am in the middle of a full fledged love affair with runny eggs and have been for a while, so it seems I have outgrown my disgust toward the mucous-like texture of eggnog in recent years. In fact, any time I can get a raw egg or raw yolk in a beverage or smoothie I will do it! Egg yolks are full of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and awesome things like iron, calcium, vitamins B6 and B12. Most of the eggnogs I have tried have been dairy-free like my recipe below, or made from a grass-fed dairy source and I seem to do okay with them.  The one thing I did not enjoy about all of those “healthier” versions of Eggnog was the sugar content.  They were much too sweet for my taste, even with the alcohol.  I decided to tame down the sugar a bit for my recipe and I think it still tastes delicious.

I am still not a big fan of bourbon, rum or brandy.  I will take a sip of a friend’s cocktail containing one of those spirits, but I will not order them on my own accord. I can drink vodka and tequila like a champ, but any dark liquors and I usually have to sit that round out! That is why I chose Maker’s Mark for the alcohol.  It is a “sweeter” bourbon which complimetns the eggnog, but still bold in flavor so take it easier or it will overpower the drink. I created this recipe without an exact measurement for the alcohol.  If you want it heavy, go for it.  If you are more of a light-weight like me, that works too!  I am good with a tablespoon, which is about half a shot.

Many eggnog recipes don’t require it to be heated, but most store bought versions are heated to prevent contamination due to raw eggs.  I buy good quality eggs so that is not something I need to worry about but I was not sure about everyone else’s egg quality so I just created a recipe that used heat, just in case. The first time I made this  I decided to serve the eggnog warm for several different reasons.  One, it was cold as all get out outside and my home was not feeling much warmer inside.  Two, because I was too excited to wait for it to cool off, I went straight to sippin’!

The “for two” part can be losely translated to mean, “Go ahead, drink it all yourself”! Is eggnog on your holiday menu?

To a nourished life,

Natalie