Eggnog is a delicious traditional holiday drink, best made fresh and served immediately! This recipe makes fabulously rich, tasty fresh eggnog you can whip up in minutes.
Not an Eggnog fan? Making it fresh will change your mind. Commercial versions have almost ruined its reputation – they’re all pasteurized, too sweet, and full of artificial thickening agents. Yuck. Do it right, and learn why people liked eggnog in the first place!
Here’s what you’ll need:
6 eggs at room temperature, separated
3/4 cup sugar (for the yolks)
6 Tablespoons sugar (for the whites)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (use the good stuff, and/or make your own)
fresh grated nutmeg
3 cups whipping cream, chilled
2 cups whole milk
These are optional:
1 cup brandy or rum
1 1/3 cups bourbon
large bowl (~ gallon-sized)
wire whisk
Microplane grater/zester
mixer (hand or stand type – just so long as it’s motorized!)
small punch cups, margarita glasses, teacups, wine glasses, or other fancy-looking festive vessels
Separate the eggs.
Put the yolks in your big bowl, the whites in the electric mixer bowl.
Mix the yolks vigorously with the wire whisk for about a minute – they will turn much lighter yellow.
Whisk in 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, whisking steadily. Grate* in a bit of nutmeg** (gently – you can always add more later, and fresh nutmeg can be powerful), then add 3 cups cream and 2 cups milk (and the booze, if you’re using it) and whisk a bit more. Everything should be thoroughly incorporated.
Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
Add 6T sugar, one tablespoon at a time, as the mixer runs. Continue beating until the mixture forms stiff peaks, but still looks moist (another 2-4 minutes).
Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk/cream mixture with a spatula.
Scrape the egg whites out of the bowl with your rubber spatula, and use a gentle sweeping motion to incorporate the whites to save all the air you just beat into them. (If you whisk them in all of that nice fluffiness will be lost.) You should still have some small blobs of unincorporated eggwhite, and if the mixture is allowed to sit it will separate.
Ladle out the eggnog into your fancy cups, and top with a bit more freshly grated nutmeg.
If the eggnog has separated, give it a quick (gentle!) stir before serving. Don’t let the eggnog sit out too long – even if it does have alcohol, refrigerate to avoid spoilage. I’ve never had this problem: we always drink it so fast there’s nothing left to worry about! Thankfully it’s fast to make more, because you’ll never be able to drink the commercial stuff again.
