Eggnog (hot)
Warm up ∙ 4 min ∙ 17.2% ABV ∙
A warm, cooked eggnog made hot with cognac, egg, milk, cream, and sugar syrup, served in a toddy glass. Rich and custardy, with warm cognac depth under sweet dairy and a dusting of nutmeg spice on the finish — a cold-weather nightcap.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-heat a glass
- Pour the ingredients: Cognac 75 mlSugar syrup 15 mlEgg 1 pcSingle cream/half-and-half 15 mlMilk 60 ml into the heatproof glass
- Stir thoroughly
- Heat in the microwave oven for a minute
- Stir again
- Garnish with grated nutmeg
Tips
- Temper the egg gradually: whisk it with the sugar syrup first, then add warm milk in a slow stream to prevent curdling before combining with cognac.
- Warm the milk and cream to just below a simmer (around 70°C) rather than boiling, since overheating cooks the egg and breaks the emulsion.
- Whisk vigorously or use a milk frother once all ingredients are combined and gently heated, building a light, silky foam before pouring into the toddy glass.
History
Hot eggnog is a serving-temperature variation of the classic eggnog, a drink whose own roots trace to medieval Britain, where monks and the upper classes drank a hot, milky concoction called posset, curdled with ale, wine, or sherry and often laced with eggs and spices. The term "eggnog" itself is first recorded in Britain's American colonies in 1775, and the drink became firmly associated with the Christmas holidays in the United States, where cheaper, more abundant eggs, milk, and rum or whiskey made it widely accessible; George Washington kept his own well-known recipe at Mount Vernon. Since posset and the earliest colonial eggnogs were drunk warm, hot eggnog reflects that original medieval and colonial serving style; it was only with the spread of home and commercial refrigeration in the 20th century that the chilled version became the standard, with warm eggnog persisting mainly as a regional or old-fashioned variation.
