Safe, simple, festive, and lightly spiced, Alton Brown's easy cooked eggnog is the Christmas cocktail your family needs this holiday season.

Course: Drinks

Keyword: Christmas, Cocktails, Eggs, Entertaining, Holidays, Rum

Cooked Nog

Name: Cooked Nog
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 6 large egg yolks; 1/2 cup sugar; 6 cups half and half; 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving; 1/2 teaspoon ground grains of paradise ((or 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper)); 3 fluid ounces (6 tablespoons) bourbon; 3 fluid ounces (6 tablespoons) gold rum; 1 1/2 fluid ounces (3 tablespoons) fino dry sherry; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

ACTIVE TIME: 30

TOTAL TIME: 30

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

If you're tired of playing raw eggnog roulette, try my safer and even-more-satisfying Cooked Nog for a happy (and boozy) holiday, indeed.

When it comes to the holidays, everyone has their own traditional methods of surviving the sling and arrows of the season. Mine is a tantalizing potion I simply call "nog." Do NOT call it "eggnog," because everybody knows that eggnog is gross and nasty. Nog, on the other hand, is sublime.

Actually, I like to make two versions of nog. One is raw and aged and possibly dangerous, while this one is new, improved, and perfectly safe thanks to a quick, custard-like cooking method.

This recipe first appeared on Food Network Kitchen.

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Software

6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
6 cups half and half
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon ground grains of paradise (or 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper)
3 fluid ounces (6 tablespoons) bourbon
3 fluid ounces (6 tablespoons) gold rum
1 1/2 fluid ounces (3 tablespoons) fino dry sherry
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Specialized Hardware

Digital kitchen scale

Digital instant-read thermometer

ACTIVE TIME: 30

TOTAL TIME: 30

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Procedure

In a medium bowl, briskly whisk the egg yolks until they’re smooth and have lightened a bit in color, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the sugar, then continue to whisk until the mixture is thick and considerably lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Stash next to the cooktop.
Heat the half and half, nutmeg, and grains of paradise in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it begins to steam and registers around 165°F, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and, while whisking the egg mixture constantly, gradually ladle in about one-quarter of the hot dairy mixture.
Whisk the hot egg mixture into the remaining dairy mixture in the saucepan, set over medium heat, and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 175 to 180°F, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, place a second medium bowl inside a large bowl filled with ice. Set a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, then pour the custard through the sieve into the bowl. Stir in the bourbon, rum, sherry, and vanilla. Continue to stir frequently until the mixture has cooled to at least room temperature, about 15 minutes. Consume immediately or transfer the bowl of nog to the fridge to chill completely. Add a little extra nutmeg over the top before serving if you so choose.