How to make eggnog from scratch or, how to make it quickly:
So take heed aspiring mixologists, you are now in the baker’s world.
You may no longer improvise, you will require extra tools, and the techniques are different than the usual tricks of the bar. But worry not, you won’t have to get up at 3AM like a baker to make a quality ‘nog — you’ll simply need to set up an extensive mise en place and follow instructions with great specificity.
Lay out all of your ingredients and get ready to get ready, because you’ll be here for a while. But you wanted to do this the hard way, right? Perhaps you should pour yourself a beer.
Ingredients:
- 12 eggs
- 1 1/3 cups superfine sugar and 3 tablespoons on the side
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 quart whole milk
- 1 750ml bottle of Novo Fogo Barrel Aged Cachaça
- 1 tbsp real vanilla extract— imitation extract contains only sadness and regret
Mise en place:
- 1 friend to help
- 1 whisk or a hand mixer— how hard do you want to work?
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- 1 small bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 one-gallon jug ($5 at many online retailers)
- 1 funnel
- 1 microplane
First
Start by separating egg whites from yolks. Separate the eggs one at a time, letting the white fall into the small bowl. Empty the bowl after each separation — in case you accidentally drop a shard of shell or a broken yolk, you won’t have to start over. Put the yolks in the large bowl and the whites in the medium bowl.
Second
If you want to buy whites and yolks separately, well, you are reading the wrong recipe. Please see our recipe for “Easynog.” This recipe is for the true of heart, the pure of soul, and those who yearn to fold a little love into their project.
Speaking of which, the next step is to grab a whisk or a mixer and begin the process of “folding in the love.” This is when your friend can help because there are two jobs that are best done together: one of you slowly adds 1 1/3 cups of superfine sugar to the yolks while the other vigorously whisks until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then slowly whisk 1 pint of heavy cream, 1 quart of whole milk, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract into the yolk-sugar mixture.
Third
In the medium mixing bowl containing the egg whites, add 1 tablespoon of superfine sugar and beat the whites until stiff peaks form. What do these “stiff peaks” look like? By the time you are done beating the egg whites, they should take up about five times more volume than their original state and be able to hold their foamy shape even without a bowl.
Fourth
The delicate and tedious work is now done, and now you are cruising downhill! Fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk and cream mixture in the large bowl. When you are done, congratulate yourself, because you have now made a beautiful eggnog suitable for teetotalers and minors.
But, unless you impatiently want to go downward dog into a big bowl of boozeless ‘nog, you’ll likely want to transfer your eggnog into a receptacle to store in the fridge; as it rests, the flavors will come together nicely over a week’s time.
This is again when it helps to have a friend: one person pours the mixture from the big bowl while the other person holds a funnel and the one-gallon jug. When the transfer is complete, you’ll find that there is plenty of room to add an entire 750mL bottle of Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged Cachaça right on top. Screw the cap onto the jug and give it a hearty shake to combine everything. This is a slightly strong but very effective ratio of liquor to ‘nog that will keep you and your friends and family quite jolly all winter.
Drink
One last note: when working with raw eggs, food safety is important. Wash your hands often and clean your workspace well when you are done. Your cachaça eggnog is quite stable in the refrigerator, however, and using the freshest ingredients combined with alcohol and sugar will keep the eggnog preserved for up to a month or more in the fridge. Also, liquor kills bacteria, everyone say it together:
“Thanks again, alcohol.”
BUT WHAT IF YOU WANT TO KNOCK IT OUT IN 5 MINUTES?
Ingredients
- 3 quarts good quality eggnog
- 1 750 mL bottle of Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged Cachaça
- 1 375 mL bottle of sweet herbal liqueur
Tight on time? Here’s how to make no-fuss spiked eggnog.
Eggnog is a delightful holiday drink, and the effort required to enjoy it represents quite a spectrum.
But on that spectrum, somewhere between sweating into a bowl of bespoke eggnog tediously made from scratch and taking home a plastic jug of chemically thickened dairy goop from the grocery store, there is a safe and easy method to make quality eggnog at home. This ‘nog is satisfyingly tasty, and arriving with a jugful will win you great praise at the holiday party.
This “cheater” recipe does rely on sourcing a reasonably good, store-bought bottle of eggnog. How do you select the best? The same with everything of quality: choose the one with the fewest ingredients and the most warnings.
Homemade eggnog is made simply with milk, cream, eggs and sugar. Therefore, the best possible store-bought eggnog will contain these ingredients, plus perhaps one preservative. Ideally, it will also contain enough fresh eggs to require a food safety precaution about consuming unpasteurized eggs. You will need 3 quarts of this. Don’t worry, you are now 20% done with your shopping.
You will also need an empty one-gallon glass jug, one 750 mL bottle of Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged Cachaça, a 375 mL bottle of your favorite herbal liqueur, and one piece of nutmeg.
Using a funnel, pour everything except the nutmeg in the one-gallon jug. Screw on the cap, give it a few good shakes to combine, and refrigerate to allow the flavors to settle. The ‘nog will be fine to drink right away, but it will taste even more delicious after one week in the fridge.
The nutmeg is for grating on top of the eggnog. That sprinkle of nutmeg is the real secret that makes your ‘nog appear to be homemade. Don’t tell on yourself.
Congratulations — you have just made 25 servings of tasty, boozy eggnog, and everyone will consider you their holiday hero!
cheers from writer Andrew Bohrer & photographer Luke McKinley
