Eggnog/ˈɛɡˌnɒɡ/ (oregg nog), historically also known (when alcoholic) asmilk punch oregg milk punch,[1][2][3] is a rich, chilled,sweetened, creamydairy-basedbeverage traditionally made withmilk and/orcream,sugar, whippedeggs (which gives it a frothy texture) and, in some contexts,distilled spirits such asbrandy,rum orbourbon.
Eggnog is traditionally consumed throughoutCanada and theUnited States atChristmas every year, often fromAmerican Thanksgiving through the end of the Christmas season. During this period commercially prepared eggnog is sold in grocery stores in these countries. Eggnog is also often homemade. Distilled spirits are sometimes added to both commercially prepared eggnog and homemade eggnog. Eggnog or eggnog flavoring may also be used in otherdrinks, such ascoffee (e.g. an "eggnog latte"espresso drink) andtea, or todessert foods such as egg-custardpuddings or eggnog-flavoredice cream.
The origins,etymology, and the ingredients used to make the original eggnog drink are debated.According to the Oxford English Dictionary,nog was "a kind of strong beer brewed inEast Anglia".[4] Alternatively,nog may stem fromnoggin, aMiddle English term for a small, carved wooden mug used to serve alcohol.[5] However, the British drink was also called anEgg Flip, from the practice of "flipping" (rapidly pouring) the mixture between two pitchers to mix it. One dictionary lists the word as being an Americanism invented in 1765-75.[6]Babson College professor Frederick Douglass Opie "...wrote that the term is a combination of two colonial slang words — rum was referred to asgrog and bartenders served it in small wooden mugs called noggins. The drink first became known as egg-n-grog and later as eggnog."[7] Ben Zimmer, executive editor for vocabulary.com disputes the "egg-n-grog" theory as lacking proof; Zimmer states that the term "nog" may be related to the "...Scottish term nugg or nugged ale, meaning "ale warmed with a hot poker."[8]
The first example of the term "eggnog" was in 1775, when Maryland clergyman and philologist Jonathan Boucher wrote a poem about the drink which was not published until 30 years after his death: "Fog-drams i' th' morn, or (better still) egg-nogg, / At night hot-suppings, and at mid-day, grogg, / My palate can regale..."[8] The first printed use of the term was in 1788 in theNew-Jersey Journal of March 26, which referred to a young man drinking a glass of eggnog.[8]
Eggnog may have developed fromposset, amedievalEuropean beverage made with hot milk[5] that was curdled withwine orale and flavoured with spices. In the Middle Ages, posset was used as a cold and flu remedy. Posset was popular from medieval times to the 19th century. Eggs were added to some posset recipes; according toTIME magazine, by the "...13th century, monks were known to drink a posset with eggs and figs."[9]
Eggnog "...seems to have been popular on both sides of the Atlantic at that time.[5] In the American South, eggnog is made withbourbon.[5] Eggnog is called "coquito" in Puerto Rico, where, rum and fresh coconut juice or coconut milk are used in its preparation.[5] Mexican eggnog, also known as "rompope", was developed in Santa Clara. It differs from regular eggnog in its use of Mexican cinnamon and rum or grain alcohol.[5] In Peru, eggnog is called "biblia con pisco", and it is made with a "Peruvian pomace brandy called pisco."[5]
German eggnog, called "biersuppe", is made with beer. "Eierpunsch is a German version of eggnog made with white wine", eggs, sugar, cloves, tea, lemon or lime juice and cinnamon.[10] Another recipe dating from 1904 calls for eggs, lemon juice, sugar, white wine, water and rum. In Iceland, eggnog "...is served hot as a dessert."[5]
In Britain, the drink was popular mainly among the aristocracy.[5] Milk, eggs, andsherry were foods of the wealthy, so eggnog was often used intoasts to prosperity and good health."[9] Those who could get milk and eggs mixed it withbrandy,Madeira orsherry to make a drink similar to modern alcoholic egg nog.[5] The drink is described in the 1932 novelCold Comfort Farm (chapter 21) as a Hell's Angel, made with an egg, two ounces of brandy, a teaspoonful of cream, and some chips of ice, where it is served as breakfast.
The drink crossed theAtlantic to the British colonies during the 18th century. Since brandy and wine were heavily taxed,rum from theTriangular Trade with theCaribbean was a cost-effective substitute.[5] The inexpensive liquor, coupled with plentiful farm and dairy products, helped the drink become very popular in America.[11] When the supply of rum to the newly founded United States was reduced as a consequence of theAmerican Revolutionary War, Americans turned to domestic whiskey, and eventuallybourbon in particular, as a substitute.[5] Eggnog "became tied to the holidays" when it was adopted in the United States in the 1700s.[9] Records show that the first US President,George Washington, "...served an eggnog-like drink to visitors" which included "...rye whiskey, rum, and sherry."[12]
"Tom and Jerry is a form of hot eggnog [cocktail] that was once popular."[10] The Tom and Jerry was invented by British journalistPierce Egan in the 1820s, usingbrandy andrum added to eggnog and served hot, usually in a mug or a bowl. The drink features prominently inDamon Runyon's 1932 short story "Dancing Dan's Christmas". It is mentioned briefly inYogi Yorgesson's 1949 novelty song "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas" and characters drink Tom and Jerrys in the 1940 filmBeyond Tomorrow[13] and the 1941 filmThe Great Mr. Nobody. As well, it is mentioned in the 1960 filmThe Apartment.
Isaac Weld, Junior, in his bookTravels Through the States of North America and the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, during the years 1795, 1796, and 1797 (published in 1800) wrote: "The American travellers, before they pursued their journey, took a hearty draught each, according to custom, of egg-nog, a mixture composed of new milk, eggs, rum, and sugar, beat up together;..."
Traditional eggnog is made of milk or cream, sugar, raw eggs, an alcoholic spirit, andspices, often vanilla ornutmeg. In some recipes,vanilla flavour is added. Some modern commercial eggnogs addgelatin and other thickeners, with less egg and cream. There are variations in ingredients, and toppings may be added, such as grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon. Eggnog can be made commercially, as well as at home. Ready-made eggnog versions are seasonally available with different spirits, or without alcohol, to be drunk as bought or used as "mixes" with all the ingredients except the liquor, to be added as desired. Traditional eggnog has a significant fat content, due to the use of cream, and a high sugar content; low-fat and sugar-free formulations are available usingskimmed or low fat milk.[14]
Dutchadvocaat with around 20% alcohol, long sold in bottles, is essentially an eggnog. Under current U.S. law, commercial products sold as eggnog are permitted to contain milk, sugar,modified milk ingredients, glucose-fructose, water,carrageenan,guar gum, natural and artificialflavorings, spices,monoglycerides, andcolorings.[15][16] Ingredients vary significantly between variants. Alcohol used in different national and regional versions of eggnog includebrandy,cognac,bourbon,whiskey,sherry,rum andgrain alcohol.
Some North American manufacturers offersoy-,almond-,rice- orcoconut milk-based alternatives forvegans and those withdairy allergies,lactose intolerance or other dietary restrictions.
The history of non-dairy eggnogs goes back to at least 1899 when Almeda Lambert, in herGuide for Nut Cookery, gave a recipe for "Egg Nog" made using coconut cream, eggs, and sugar. In 1973, Eunice Farmilant, inThe Natural Foods Sweet-Tooth Cookbook, gave a more modernnon-dairy eggnog recipe using 3 eggs separated, 2 tablespoons of barley malt extract orAmasake syrup, 4 cups of chilled soy milk, 1 teaspoon ofvanilla extract, and nutmeg, (p. 138-39)
In 1981, Grain Country of Los Angeles, California, introduced Grain Nog, the earliest non-dairy and vegan eggnog. Based on amazake (a traditional Japanese fermented rice beverage) and containing no eggs, it was available in plain, strawberry, and carob flavors. Also in 1981, Redwood Valley Soyfoods Unlimited (California) introduced "Soynog", the earliest known soy-based non-dairy and vegan eggnog based on soy milk andtofu (added for thickness). It was renamed Lite Nog in 1982 and Tofu Nog in 1985.
Most homemade eggnog recipes have historically included raw eggs. While the alcohol added to many homemade eggnogs is abactericide, eggnog freshly made from raw eggs that are infected withsalmonella and not heated can causefood poisoning. In 1982 most of the residents and staff of a nursing home in the U.S. became ill withsalmonellosis, and four died. The cause was almost certainly an eggnog made on the spur of the moment, with some cases caused in a secondary outbreak caused by food being handled later by people with contaminated hands.[17] A later publication of theU.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that the alcohol in eggnog is not sufficient to sterilize contaminated eggs.[18] Using commercial pasteurized eggs or heating the milk-egg mixture sufficiently can make the drink safe; one recipe calls for heating the mixture gently, without boiling, until it thickens enough to "coat the back of a spoon."[19]
However, aged alcoholic eggnog becomes sterilized even if made with contaminated eggs. Aging alcoholic eggnog—sometimes for as long as a year—has been said to improve its flavor significantly, and also destroys pathogens. TheRockefeller University Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Immunology carried out an experiment in 2010 wheresalmonella was added to a strong eggnog which was refrigerated and stored; the beverage still had dangerous levels of salmonella a week later, but it was all gone within three weeks. A concentration of at least 20% of alcohol (about the same amounts of alcoholic spirits and milk or cream), and refrigeration are recommended for safety.[20][21]
For concerns about the safety of selling products made from raw eggs and milk, the U.S. FDA has changed or altered the definition of eggnog a number of times towards artificial replacements for the large number of eggs traditionally used. FDA regulations (as of January 2015) require eggnog to contain at least 1% egg yolk solids and at least 8.25% milk solids.[22][23][24][25] Some recipes for homemade eggnog call for egg yolks to be cooked with milk into acustard to avoid potential hazards from raw eggs.
TIME magazine states that individuals should be aware of the alcohol content of eggnog, from a responsible drinking perspective. CNN states that some 19th century American eggnog recipes called for significant amounts of alcohol; one recipe "calls for three dozen eggs, half a gallon of domestic brandy, and another half-pint of French brandy."[12] The high alcohol content of "...colonial eggnog inevitably led to problems. In 19th-century Baltimore, it was a custom for young men of the town to go from house to house on New Year’s Day, toasting their hosts in eggnog along the way. The challenge: to finish one’s rounds still standing."[26]
The most notable case of alcohol problems associated with the drink was theEggnog Riot at theUnited States Military Academy inWest Point, New York, on 23–25 December 1826. Alcohol possession at the academy was prohibited, along withdrunkenness andintoxication, both of which could lead toexpulsion.[27] By 1826, concern had been raised that drinking was starting to get out of hand among the 260 cadets at the academy.[28][29] The cadets were informed that, due to the alcohol prohibition on the site, their Christmas eggnog would be alcohol-free, prompting the decision by cadets to smuggle liquor into the academy.[30] Gallons ofwhiskey were smuggled into the barracks to make eggnog for a Christmas Day party. This led to "...a drunken free-for-all. Windows, furniture, and crockery were smashed; banisters were torn from walls, fights broke out. One eggnog-addled cadet tried, but failed, to shoot his commanding officer."[26] The incident resulted in thecourt-martialing of twenty cadets and one enlisted soldier. Neither the youngJefferson Davis norRobert E. Lee, who were in attendance, was found guilty of any offences or expelled.[26]
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