Dapple Grey
Tartan of the Day
Jul 11
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Eggnog Month
"When wine and beer, punch and eggnog meet, instantly ensues a quarrel."
~ Philadelphia's Independent Gazetteer, 1788
One imagines eggnog encouraging carols and conviviality, not chaos—yet history suggests this festive drink has a rather mischievous streak!
This holiday beverage was responsible for the Great Eggnog Riot of Christmas Eve, 1826, which took place at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
With drinking well out of control at the academy, all alcohol was banned on campus prior to Christmas. This, of course, led the thirsty and rebellious cadets to smuggle in gallons of their own whiskey and whip up a potent batch of eggnog on Christmas Eve.
The drunken cadets quickly went from an attitude of good cheer to completely destroying their barracks, and one even attempted to shoot his commanding officer! In the aftermath, twenty cadets and one enlisted soldier were court-martialed for conduct unbecoming and general eggnoggery.
Whether the cadets bothered to add a pinch of ground nutmeg to their recipe before things went so spectacularly awry has not been recorded.
Today, however, might be the perfect day to whip up a batch of eggnog — particularly as many prefer to age theirs for ideal mellowness, with classic additions of rum, bourbon, and cognac, for Christmas toasts.
This tartan mirrors a classic eggnog recipe in both color and proportion: a preponderance of heavy cream, separated eggs, dark and sweet spirits, warming cinnamon and spices, and just the lightest grating of fresh nutmeg on top! Cheers! 💛 🤎 🤍 💛 🥃 🥚 🥃
Eggnog, historically also known (when alcoholic) as milk punch or egg milk punch, is a rich, chilled, sweetened, creamy dairy-based beverage traditionally made with milk and/or cream, sugar, whipped eggs (which gives it a frothy texture) and distilled spirits such as brandy, rum or bourbon. The finished serving is often garnished with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or nutmeg.
These flavour colours are reflected in Carol A.L. Martin's tartan design for a creamy representation.
Eggnog is traditionally consumed throughout Canada and the United States at Christmas every year, often from American Thanksgiving through the end of the Christmas season.
Eggnog may have developed from posset, a medieval European beverage made with hot milk that was curdled with wine or ale and flavoured with spices. In the Middle Ages, posset was used as a cold and flu remedy and remained a popular remedy throughout the 19th century.
Regional eggnog variations exist in terms of the flavourings for spices and the alcoholic base.
Some 19th century American eggnog recipes called for significant amounts of alcohol: one recipe calls for "three dozen eggs, half a gallon of domestic brandy, and another half-pint of French brandy." The high alcohol content of this type of colonial eggnog inevitably led to problems. In 19th-century Baltimore, it was a custom for young men of the town to go from house to house on New Year’s Day, toasting their hosts in eggnog along the way. The challenge: to finish one’s rounds still standing.
More recent concerns about the use of raw eggs in traditional recipes can be alleviated by heating the eggs slightly before addition.
For a fancy recipe for aged eggnog, using rum, cognac, and bourbon, click the eggnog!
Cheers!