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A winter holiday classic eggnog recipe, Alton Brown's aged eggnog blends rum, bourbon, and cognac with dairy and nutmeg for a complex Christmas cocktail.
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Course: Drinks
Keyword: Christmas, Cocktails, Eggs, Holidays, Rum

Aged Eggnog

Aged eggnog in glass goblets topped with eggnog.
ACTIVE TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 90 days 15 minutes
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Although most Americans think of eggnog as something they get out of a milk carton during the two-week period leading up to December 25, eggnog actually descends from sack posset, a strong, thick English beverage built upon eggs, milk, and either a fortified wine (like Madeira) or ale.
Add depth and complexity to this classic Christmas cocktail by using a mix of spirits and allowing it to age.
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Software

Phase 1

  • 12 large eggs (see note)
  • 1 cup Jamaican rum (Appleton Estates 43% ABV)
  • 1 cup cognac (Ferrand 40% ABV)
  • 1 cup bourbon (Old Forrester 50% ABV)
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 pound sugar
  • 2/3 teaspoon nutmeg, grated on rasp

Phase 2

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 pint half-and-half
  • 1 pint heavy cream
  • 1/3 teaspoon nutmeg, grated on rasp

Specialized Hardware

Immersion(stick) blender
Aged eggnog in glass goblets topped with eggnog.
ACTIVE TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 90 days 15 minutes
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Procedure

Phase 1

  • Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and place the yolks in a 2-quart container. Save the whites for another application like Cheese SoufflĂ©, Macaroons, Angel Food Cake, or Pavlova.
  • Combine the rum, cognac, and bourbon in a separate vessel with a pour spout and set aside.
  • Add the milk to the egg yolks along with the sugar and nutmeg and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Try to keep the head of the blender well-submerged so that you whip up as little foam as possible.
  • With the motor of the blender still running, slowly pour the spirits into the yolk mixture and blend until fully incorporated.
  • Place the lid on the container and refrigerate for 30 days. (I typically transfer the mix to 2-quart jars with tight lids as they're easier to stash long term in the fridge.)
  • During the first phase aging, remember to shake the jars from time to time.

Phase 2

  • Remove the phase 1 mixture from the fridge, (If you went with the 2-jar option, recombine into a single vessel that will hold at least 3 quarts.) Place the stick blender into the mixture and blend on medium speed. With the motor running, slowly add the milk, half and half, heavy cream, and nutmeg and blend until smooth. (The order doesn't matter. You could also combine them all and add at once.)
  • Return the lid to the container and refrigerate for 50-60 days. (You can divide the eggnog into a few smaller containers as long as they seal tightly.) Again, occasional shaking will help keep things nice and homogenized.
  • Serve straight from the fridge and remember, it's tasty but strong. As for long term storage, I can only say that I've kept unopened jars for 6 months without any reduction in quality. I have friends who swear by a year but mine almost never last that long because the stuff's tasty, you know?
Note: A great deal has been written in fancy, peer-reviewed papers, about how ethanol can greatly reduce salmonella in beverages like eggnog. The entire procedure we've suggested here is meant to take advantage of that by keeping the ABV high enough (over 20%) in the first phase to reduce any salmonella population by over 99%. If however, you'd like even. more protection, you can heat treat your eggs first as we suggested in AB's Mayonnaise recipe.
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