Eggnog

Eggnog descends from medieval European hot, spiced wine-and-milk drinks such as the English 'posset,' a curdled cordial of milk, eggs, and sherry or ale taken as a winter restorative and a toast to health. Carried to the American colonies, the drink found cheaper local spirits — rum from the Caribbean trade, and later whiskey and bourbon — and dairy and eggs were plentiful on colonial farms, so it became a festive household staple. George Washington is reliably documented to have served a fortified eggnog at Mount Vernon. The drink even sparked the 1826 'Eggnog Riot' at West Point, when cadets smuggled in whiskey to make it. The name's origin is debated: 'nog' may refer to a strong ale or to a 'noggin,' a small wooden cup.

Thick and velvety, coating the spoon, sweet and unmistakably eggy with the warm spice of nutmeg over the top. The spirits give a slow heat that builds under the dairy richness, and a good batch tastes of custard more than of alcohol. Cold versions are dense and creamy; warm ones are softer and more aromatic. Too much nutmeg dominates; just enough perfumes the cream.

Eggnog is essentially an uncooked or barely cooked custard held together by emulsification: beating the yolks with sugar coats the fat globules and lets the lecithin in the yolk bind milk, cream, and air into a smooth, stable body that does not separate. Folding in separately whipped egg whites traps air for a lighter, foamier texture. Aging an alcoholic batch for weeks in the cold is a genuine technique — the alcohol acts as a preservative, and studies of aged eggnog have found that the spirit's concentration is high enough to kill bacteria over time, while the harsh edges of the liquor soften and the flavors marry. Gentle warming, kept below the point at which the yolks scramble, thickens a cooked version safely.