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Plan Ahead: 30-Day Eggnog

Published: Nov 1, 2016 · Modified: Feb 3, 2021 by Michael Ruhlman · 35 Comments

eggnog1

My trusted assistant, Emilia Juocys, emailed to say she was making her holiday eggnog and I said, "Take pix! I want to remind people to get their eggnog made!"

She did, see above, then pointed me to this intriguing Food Lab article on aged eggnog: http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/09/is-aging-holiday-eggnog-worth-it.html. It seems intuitive to me that the longer anything ages, the more complex and funky it will be. But is it better? That was the case with two-year eggnog, which had turned a kind of dangerous-looking brown, but I enjoyed the deep funk. 

The Food Lab post is interesting because it presents a taste test wherein the blind tasters prefer the fresh eggnog. Less romantic but makes more intuitive sense. It also means you can make your eggnog now and enjoy it from Thanksgiving through New Years (if you make enough—it doesn't usually last long).

If you have room in the fridge, make a double batch, and hold some back for text year to see if the aging is worth it.

30-Day Eggnog

Michael Ruhlman
If you have room in the fridge, make a double batch, and hold some back for text year to see if the aging is worth it.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Fridge set up time 30 days d
Total Time 30 days d 15 minutes mins
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Equipment

  • 1 gallon glass jar

Ingredients
  

  • 12 Egg Yolks save whites for angel food cake!
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 liter bourbon
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¾ cup Cognac or brandy
  • ½ cup Meyer's dark rum
  • 1 pinch Kosher Salt

Instructions
 

  • Combine the yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until well blended and creamy.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
  • Transfer the mixture to a 1-gallon glass jar and tightly seal the lid. (Alternatively, you can bottle it.) Place in the refrigerator for 30 days. (But you'd better try a couple glasses the day after making it just to make sure it's got the right balance, don't you think?)
  • Serve topped with sweet meringue and nutmeg if you wish.

Notes

This recipe is pretty boozy—feel free to reduce the alcohol to 1 liter total, or to taste. I like the mix of boozes for flavor but anything goes here. If you're feeling super-flush and want to make it very special, try using Oban single-malt, a whiskey that goes particularly well with cream, as this cocktail post, announcing a new cocktail, The Major Award, notes.
How can you keep dairy and eggs in your fridge for a year or three? The alcohol kills the bacteria that cause food to spoil (not to mention salmonella that might be in raw egg). This is a good thing to remember if you need to leave town and find you have a lot of dairy and eggs that will go bad--just ad 20 percent booze by weight and it will keep. Kenji, in his post above, says it pasturizes the liquid in 24 hours, but studies I read said it could take as long as 30 days to eliminate 100 percent of the bacteria.
Keyword christmas, cocktail, drink, eggnog, holiday
« Spicy Orange Chicken
Mega Thanksgiving Post »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michael B

    November 01, 2016 at 6:33 pm

    This is the best eggnog on earth! I make two batches every January and even have one 3 yr old bottle we will drink this Christmas!

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      November 03, 2016 at 11:11 am

      on earth!

      Reply
    • Francesco

      December 20, 2020 at 6:44 am

      5 stars
      Yup. I’m on Year 4 of mixing up a batch and combining it with “Old Mix,” consuming half and putting up the rest for next year’s mix. Outstanding.

      Reply
      • Michael Ruhlman

        December 22, 2020 at 4:20 pm

        great strategy!

        Reply
  2. Cheryl

    November 01, 2016 at 10:07 pm

    Thanks for the reminder. We'll make ours this weekend. My husband and I made it last year and it was amazing.

    Reply
  3. Marysia

    November 01, 2016 at 11:16 pm

    I'll be making eggnog this weekend, pouring it into great looking bottles and storing it in my fridge until Thanksgiving. Friends can expect to take a liter home with instructions to "save" it until Christmas (maybe). I'll even toss in the nutmeg and a picture of what the finished product looks like.

    Reply
  4. Michael Trippe

    November 02, 2016 at 7:01 am

    Oh I made mine already about 3 weeks ago... I made this a couple of years ago to resounding success (people loved me when I brought this to parties). Posted pics with links on my IG - https://www.instagram.com/p/BLWo93KhGMJ/?taken-by=miketrippe

    Great recipe - as always, thank you for sharing Michael.

    Reply
  5. Tom Larrow

    November 02, 2016 at 12:33 pm

    We use 100 Proof Southern Comfort. That gives it a great taste.

    Reply
  6. JNorth

    November 02, 2016 at 1:55 pm

    I've done this one as well as President Washington's recipe. In both cases I've started making it sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas and drinking it the following year.

    Reply
  7. Kektklik

    November 02, 2016 at 4:17 pm

    A gallon of eggnog..? How many guests do you have?

    I always use Jim Beam. I think the most I've made in a year is 1.5 quarts

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      November 03, 2016 at 11:12 am

      um, it keeps...

      Reply
  8. Allen

    November 03, 2016 at 10:50 am

    Very nice photo Emilia, looks like egg whites whipped with cinnamon. Thank you!
    I love the original recipe, 2012, I've been making it for quite sometime.

    I made the Oban batch this year, I'll be tapping into it early December for a fancy dinner celebration. I will let you know the outcome.
    Cheers all

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      November 03, 2016 at 11:12 am

      jealous, pls do.

      Reply
  9. Chris Eigeman

    November 03, 2016 at 11:19 am

    Can't remember who's joke it is (Louis Anderson?).
    Eggnog; when you want to get drunk, but also want pancakes.

    Reply
    • tim

      November 07, 2016 at 11:24 am

      Dave Attell. great joke.

      Reply
  10. Maggie Orchard

    November 03, 2016 at 3:07 pm

    I sort of already have a container of this wonderful stuff in my refrigerator back in Ohio....from 2014.

    Reply
  11. Laura G.

    November 03, 2016 at 5:18 pm

    My favorite great aunt, born in the 1880s, used to make a similar one. She beat 2 cups of sugar with a dozen eggs, and added some booze - 1 pint each of brandy and rye, and 1/2 pint of white rum. We children had to whisk while she slowly added the alcohol (whisky first). Then at the end, she added enough half and half to make up a gallon. And the nutmug grating, mostly just when you serve each glass. We usually made extra large batches!

    Reply
  12. Tex

    November 03, 2016 at 5:22 pm

    I made two batches last year. Really enjoyed the first...and it has taken a lot of self control to save the second.

    Reply
  13. Bill Pederson

    November 03, 2016 at 11:18 pm

    Michael-
    I am mixing this up now! Thank you! When I was a kid all eggnog came from a carton along with the tom and Jerry's. I'm glad I can bring this to the (adult) family table.

    Reply
  14. Catherine

    November 04, 2016 at 6:50 am

    Simply the best. I have some from 2014 for a taste test, and some ready to go. The 2014 batch has a great golden color and rich taste - not really funky but sharper, deeper and more interesting than the fresh batch.

    Reply
  15. Matt

    November 06, 2016 at 3:04 pm

    I made this last night and I've split it into 5 mason jars. I've noticed that it has separated and there is a clear-ish liquid near the bottom. Should I be shaking the jars regularly or letting them sit?

    Reply
  16. Mike

    November 07, 2016 at 1:16 pm

    I have last year's batch waiting for me...and I do have some Oban on hand. It sounds like I need to get working on next years, too!

    Reply
  17. Jaye

    November 07, 2016 at 2:20 pm

    I made this last November and kept half of it to age further. I shared it during a family reunion in the summer which was dubbed our"Christmas in July". Everyone loved how smooth and custard-like it was. There's only a cup left that I plan on keeping until its third year.

    Reply
  18. David

    November 10, 2016 at 7:11 am

    You guys have monster liquor cabinets - haha

    Reply
  19. Darren

    November 11, 2016 at 7:37 pm

    Here's your challenge, Michael. Make it shelf stable. How can we make this and then keep it on a pantry shelf to age for a year?

    Reply
  20. Somebody's Mother

    November 13, 2016 at 1:53 am

    For those of us who have access to home raised chickens, can you convert the yolks to volume please?
    I get my eggs from a friend who has laying hens and the size of the eggs can vary greatly.

    Reply
  21. Erik

    November 14, 2016 at 11:07 am

    Uh oh. Was I supposed to leave this in the fridge? I have a growler from last December sitting on the shelf in the basement. I check on it regularly and it seems to be a consistent color and texture.

    Reply
  22. hostmaster

    November 14, 2016 at 11:26 am

    This is the best eggnog on earth! I make two batches every January and even have one 3 yr old bottle we will drink this Christmas!

    Reply
  23. bursakerja

    November 16, 2016 at 10:02 pm

    Thanks a lot for the reminder. We’ll make ours this weekend. My wife and I made it last year and it was amazing.

    Reply
  24. Jan P

    November 19, 2016 at 3:23 pm

    TG you're back!
    You were aptly missed.
    And you came bearing gifts.😘

    Tonight I'll fix the spicey orange chicken and tomorrow will commence on the Egg Nog.

    Please advise on ratios to keep this delish but not too boozy. Might halving those ratios deem it too tame? Still want a bit of that holiday edge.☃️

    Sorry for the rough year.
    Keep writing & cooking.

    Transitioning too, empty nest portions for meals trade from cooking for a frat house mentality.

    My collection of your books & CIA's are displayed in my kitchen's glassed doored cabinets as they are the most revered.

    Reply
  25. Marc Barringer

    October 17, 2019 at 1:55 pm

    The 2019 Edition (Vintage?) was assembled today and is now quietly lurking in the back of the fridge.

    Reply
  26. Ben Northenor

    November 21, 2021 at 8:54 pm

    5 stars
    This is THE BEST Nog recipe ever made! I made 2 Gallons. 1 with Noah’s Mill and one with Bulleit. So. Damn. Tasty.

    Reply
  27. Michael

    October 09, 2022 at 11:11 am

    Brilliant! If I was to make the Oban variant, would it replace just the bourbon, or all the alcohol?

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      October 20, 2022 at 8:04 pm

      just the bourbon, but then, taste and use your judgment. you may not think it needs more alcohol.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Spiced Eggnog - sunshine + microbes says:
    December 10, 2020 at 7:31 pm

    […] or three weeks ageing in the fridge produces peak nog. I riffed off recipes from Kenji Lopez-Alt, Michael Ruhlman, and Alton Brown (the latter two of which had frat party-levels of alcohol) to create this spiced […]

    Reply

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