Happy week of Christmas, Friends!

With all those presents wrapped and work put to rest, what else is there to do than make something delicious to drink? I am a huge fan of eggnog. Not the store bought, ultra sugary, rich kind, but the homemade, life changing, delicious kind. Today I’m sharing with you How To Make Spiked Holiday Eggnog in 4 easy steps. Trust me – a festive, holiday drink doesn’t quite get any better than this, of course unless you’re making this Cranberry Pomegranate Mulled Wine : ).

4 Steps

1. Whip the egg whites

2. Blend remaining ingredients

3. Add whipped whites and blended ingredients all together

4. Add alcohol

So in case you are wondering, yes, this recipe contains raw eggs. This is the classical way to make it. “It is believed that eggnog began in Europe. As early as the 13th century, medieval monks in Britain were known to drink posset, a warm ale punch with eggs and figs.” [Source].

Don’t fret – we’ve all grown up eating cookie dough. As long as you’re using the freshest eggs you can find (local, organic makes for an amazing drink!), you’ll be great. If you still can’t get past this (it’s ok, it’s not for everyone), you can always make eggnog cooked over a stovetop. Now, this takes more time, but it’s a great alternate route.

I love fresh eggnog especially when it’s spiked.

The store bought version often clouds the pure, vibrant taste of liquor when added, so making this homemade will really lend to a beautiful drink.

Here I’ve used a combination of 3 spirits: bourbon (Freeland Spirits is my favorite), french ginger liqueur, and cointreau (orange-flavoured triple sec).

The bourbon provides a nice richness and warmth, the ginger a tang, and cointreau a brightness. All 3 work together really nicely here. You’ll notice I’ve also developed this recipe with maple syrup only vs standard sugar. This also lends to an overall balanced drink. Feel free to adjust the sweetness to your taste preference. You can’t go wrong.

The recipe outlined below includes 1 master eggnog recipe, and then 2 options on quantity for the spiked version: a single serving and then a larger batch for 20.

Whether you’re making this for a solo night by the tree or for your next holiday party coming up (New Years, anyone?), I would recommend making it in advance. Adding the alcohol a day or two before enjoying does wonders for flavor and texture. See notes below in recipe on shelf life (adding alcohol is key to preserve freshness).

There are so many alternate ways to enjoy fresh eggnog (unspiked)!

Just swap eggnog for cream or milk:

French toast batter

Morning latte

Add a splash to creamed sweet potatoes

Oatmeal for breakfast

White Russian

Eggnog frosting

Spiked Holiday Eggnog

Yield: 3 cups (24 oz.)

Use the freshest eggs you can find. Local, organic makes for an amazing drink! This recipe is developed with maple syrup only vs standard sugar. This lends to an overall balanced, caramely, lightly sweet drink. Feel free to adjust the sweetness to your taste preference.

Ingredients

1 ⅓ cups whole milk
⅔ cup heavy cream
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons maple
2 teaspoons vanilla
¾ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch sea salt
Optional garnish: fresh nutmeg, grated
SPIKED
Serves: 1
2 oz. Holiday Eggnog
1 oz. Freeland Spirits Bourbon
.5 oz. Domaine de Canton French Ginger Liqueur
.5 oz. Cointreau
Serves: 20
40 oz. Holiday Eggnog
20 oz. Freeland Spirits Bourbon
10 oz. Domaine de Canton French Ginger Liqueur
10 oz. Cointreau

Instructions

Separate whites from yolks in two small bowls.
In a blender, combine all ingredients with the exception of the egg whites. Blend until creamy.
In an electric mixer over medium speed, whip egg whites until light peaks form. Fold into eggnog base.
Cover and chill eggnog for at least 1-2 hours before serving. If adding alcohol, do this before chilling.
Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg

Notes

[Source: The Kitchn]

Cover and refrigerate. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The more liquor you add, the longer it will keep — non-alcoholic eggnog should be consumed within 1 day; eggnog with 1/2 to 1 cup of liquor will keep for several days; and eggnog with 1 1/2 cups of liquor will keep for several weeks and continue aging and thickening quite nicely. (If aging for longer than a few days, transfer the eggnog to a sealed glass container or a mason jar.)

Raw eggs: This recipe contains raw eggs. Use very fresh, organic eggs if at all possible. Be aware that consuming raw or undercooked eggs can increase your risk for certain food-borne illnesses, especially if you have a medical condition.