• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Ruhlman
  • About Ruhlman
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Press
  • My Books
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Ruhlman
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Press
  • My Books
×

Holiday Classic: Aged Eggnog

Published: Nov 7, 2014 · Modified: Feb 3, 2021 by Michael Ruhlman · 36 Comments

Eggnog-2009

Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

I am traveling once again, but when I arrive back home I'll be making my aged eggnog in preparation for the holidays. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

-MR

 

Plan ahead!

Not long after I began this blog in 2006, I wrote about and made aged eggnog upon reading about it at CHOW. Two years later Donna photographed it. A year after that, we finished the batch. It was a little funky and that was part of its deliciousness.

I'm writing about it now so that you can, if you plan ahead, make it this weekend or next, for this holiday season, and the next, and, if you have the discipline, for December 2016. It needs at least 30 days for the aged flavor and for the alcohol to take care of any bacteria. After that it will keep for a long long time.

Jonathon Sawyer liked it so much he began experimenting with different whiskeys. Last one I tried he'd use Oban, an excellent single malt that pairs well with cream.

Thus the Friday cocktail is a good whiskey, on the rocks, to enjoy after you make next year's batch of aged eggnog.

If you liked this post, take a look at these links:

  • My past cocktail posts featuring dark rum or bourbon: the Rum Old-Fashioned, the Dark & Stormy, and the Derby.
  • Learn more about aged and barrel-aged cocktails.
  • Alton Brown shares a brief history of eggnog.

© 2014 Michael Ruhlman. Photo © 2014 Donna Turner Ruhlman. All rights reserved.

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 mins
Fridge set up time 30 d
Total Time 30 d 15 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
« Butternut Squash Soup
How to Roast a Turkey »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mark Rhodes

    November 07, 2014 at 3:32 pm

    After the three weeks, do you have to keep it in the fridge?

    Reply
    • Emilia

      November 08, 2014 at 11:09 am

      yes in the fridge.

      Reply
  2. Rosemary

    November 07, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    What bourbon and brandy do you recommend? Will you really taste the difference with higher end ones with all that mile and cream?

    Reply
    • Emilia

      November 08, 2014 at 11:10 am

      I like Buffalo Trace or Maker's Mark in this recipe.

      Reply
    • Allen

      November 08, 2014 at 3:13 pm

      I like to use Bookers, Ron Zacapa 23 rum, Flor de Cana 18 rum, Claude Chatelier XO cognac, fresh grated nutmeg and just a little fresh vanilla bean. They will only get better.

      Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      November 10, 2014 at 10:45 am

      I chose Dickle this year. Chef Sawyer did one with oban single malt which goes really well with cream. depends on your palate. if it is especially discerning, then spend more on the bourbon. I do not have a discerning palate when it comes to spirits as I like pretty much everything except kamchatka vodka (which has ugly sweet notes to it--how can this be).

      Reply
      • Corry

        November 15, 2019 at 4:43 pm

        Made your eggnog 4 months ago and it is aging nicely.
        It just seems really really strong.
        Will the eggnog mellow more in time?
        I made a double batch so I will have one batch that will be aged for a year.
        Cheers

        Reply
  3. Mark Stone

    November 07, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    I've had mine aging in the fridge a couple months. It seems to want to separate if left alone so I shake it every couple days. I took a spoonful last night though and it was both delicious and insanely boozy.

    Reply
  4. Heather olsson

    November 07, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    This is a new one for me....I'm going out tomorrow to buy the ingredients!

    Reply
  5. Allen

    November 07, 2014 at 4:43 pm

    Every time I see this photo, I think of that line from the movie "The Graduate":
    " Mrs. Ruhlman, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?"
    One of your best Donna!
    I always keep some in the fridge all year, I find it gets thicker and better with time, and a great way to use premium bourbon and rum, shared with loved ones, friends and family at special times. Even subs for ice cream in the summer.
    Cheers, happy Friday all!

    Reply
  6. BarbinDC

    November 07, 2014 at 5:29 pm

    What about freezing the egg whites and then thawing them out to add to the nog, instead of whipped cream? Will frozen whites even whip?

    Reply
    • James O.

      November 08, 2014 at 8:47 am

      BarbinDC;

      Not MR, here, but I can answer: yes, frozen whites will whip, but you really want fresh. Really, the difference is noticeable.

      Besides, why whouldn't you use the whites shortly after you separate them? Angelfood cake is pretty easy -- so are merengue cookies.

      Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      November 10, 2014 at 10:46 am

      freezing is fine. in fact, sebastien, exec chef of bouchon bakery prefers frozen as they behave better for meringues.

      Reply
    • abby

      November 11, 2014 at 2:30 pm

      See the CHOW link above -- that recipe uses the egg whites, frozen and subsequently thawed and whipped.

      Reply
  7. Adele K

    November 07, 2014 at 8:46 pm

    So decadent and fattening but who could resist trying this! Can't wait.
    Thanks Michael

    Reply
  8. Don

    November 08, 2014 at 2:58 pm

    Wow!!! Now that I've come to realize I could drink this and live, I need to make this. Thanks for the great post.

    Reply
  9. Allen

    November 08, 2014 at 3:05 pm

    In regards to previous blog you mentioned Amazon is harming authors, could you tell me how? Does this apply to Kindle books? I love electronic books, my old tattered cook books will tell you the same. Please say it's ok to get Kindle books.

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      November 10, 2014 at 10:48 am

      amazon and hachette are in a feud over the price hachette (the co that owns my publisher, little brown) is charging for ebooks. amazon thus does not discount hachette books, hides them from view when you search for some of them, and delays shipping for up to three weeks. pls go indie or non-amazon. amazon too powerful

      Reply
      • James O

        November 12, 2014 at 6:30 am

        Michael;

        It's just e-books, right?

        You get full payment on paper-books -- correct?

        Reply
  10. Bill

    November 08, 2014 at 3:38 pm

    My family has been making a recipe similar to this for years, except we end up doing twice the volume with only a little more booze and use the entire egg. And we don't age it. Still turns out delicious though!

    Reply
  11. Marcella

    November 09, 2014 at 8:14 am

    This is fascinating! I can't wait to try it.

    Reply
  12. Nick P

    November 09, 2014 at 10:32 am

    I tried this last year and it was amazing. Really developed texture over the weeks. I am going to try canning it this time, does anyone have an estimate of final volume for these measures?

    Reply
  13. Lincoln Marquis

    November 09, 2014 at 7:43 pm

    Looks great - now I'm intrigued! I make one based on the following that is attributed to George Washington: "One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, 1/2 pint rye whiskey, 1/2 pint Jamaica rum, 1/4 pint sherry—mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently." I've never been able to leave it alone for more than a couple of days.

    Reply
  14. Adam

    November 11, 2014 at 3:33 pm

    Is there a noticeable difference in the Eggnog between using pasteurized and non-pasteurized eggs?

    Reply
  15. Chris DeNoia

    November 12, 2014 at 9:10 pm

    Michael,

    Do you prefer this recipe or the one in Egg?
    The one in Egg has less sugar and minus the rum.

    Reply
  16. bill.

    November 14, 2014 at 3:18 pm

    I made two batches, bottled two weeks ago in a bunch of cobalt blue EZ cap pint bottles. Giving about half away as Christmas gifts. I did refill one of the liter whiskey bottle and stuck it in the back of the fridge with the plan to age it a year.

    Reply
  17. Gavin

    November 18, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    Last year before Christmas I made some that has been aging and patiently waiting all year long. However, last year, before I made the batch there was a little, maybe a cup or so, of leftover from the year before. All of which is to say that this year's eggnog will have not only eggnog made in 2013 but also a tiny amount made in 2012. As will the iteration meant to be consumed in late 2015.

    Reply
  18. Liga

    November 23, 2014 at 8:56 pm

    Just mixed mine up. Put it up in 3 quart sized Ball jars and a pint sized one. OMG OMG OMG! It tastes FANTASTIC! There's no way that even one jar is going to make it to next year, let alone the following year.

    Reply
  19. publix gluten free bakery

    November 24, 2014 at 10:28 pm

    Gluten intolerance and Celiac disease are becoming a common condition. Patients with celiac disease the lining of the
    small intestines is injured by gluten. Awesome
    gluten free recipes

    Reply
  20. Monica

    June 03, 2020 at 9:53 am

    Your recipe sounds absolutely delicious!! However, would it taste the same if I use lactose free milk and silk whipping cream??? I would triple this recipe!!!

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      June 03, 2020 at 2:08 pm

      I've never used those products though I don't see why it wouldn't work!

      Reply
  21. Celeste

    November 15, 2022 at 12:12 am

    Could this be made with sugar substitute like Allulose or stevia? It sounds so good! Can’t have so much sugar!

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      February 22, 2023 at 4:21 pm

      maybe?

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Roasted Root Vegetables & Book Giveaway | Michael Ruhlman says:
    November 17, 2014 at 4:07 pm

    […] My recent holiday post on The Stock of Thanksgiving and Aged Eggnog. […]

    Reply
  2. weekly things – 12-11-2020 – Matt Croce says:
    December 11, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    […] one of these years i’ll get my act together and make this aged eggnog in time for the holidays… […]

    Reply
  3. Markets make your holiday feast bigger, better, and cheaper than ever - Students For Liberty North America says:
    December 16, 2020 at 12:58 pm

    […] this and that, and all the other food trends from organic to slow food. Even poor, humble eggnog can’t escape the hipster […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Newsletter!

Hi, I'm Michael Ruhlman, an award winning author and trained cook who writes about chefs, food and cooking, among other things.

More about me →

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up for my bimonthly newsletter.

Contact

  • Contact
  • FAQ

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2020 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme