Cyril K. Collins Eggnog Recipe (Egg Nog)

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This is my grandfather's eggnog recipe. It is a rich, creamy, and truly delicious version of the holiday drink. I do not know if he concocted it himself or picked it up somewhere. I've tuned it a bit to balance the cream and sugar and to lower the whiskey and increase the rum which I like better.

Please note that this eggnog is a potent alcoholic beverage. Please encourage the members of your party to bring a designated driver if they plan on drinking. To lower the alcohol in the recipe, use lower proof whiskey and/or rum, or substitute a cup of milk for every cup of alcohol removed.

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Ingredients	8 servings	16 servings	24 servings
Fresh Eggs (separated into yolks/whites)	4	8	12
Sugar (divided into 2 equal parts)	1/2 cup (1/4c, 1/4c)	1 cup (1/2c, 1/2c)	1 1/2 cups (3/4c, 3/4c)
White Rum (dark works)	1 cup	2 cups	3 cups
Milk (Whole or 2%)	1 1/2 cups	3 cups	4 1/2 cups
Whiskey (Bourbon or Canadian)	1 cup	2 cups	3 cups
Heavy/Whipping Cream (divided into 2 equal parts)	1 cup (1/2c, 1/2c)	2 cups (1c, 1c)	3 cups (1 1/2c, 1 1/2c)
Ground Nutmeg (strongly recommended)	Enough to sprinkle on servings. Consider whole nutmeg nuts and grinder.

Eggnog Recipe Instructions

You are doing things gently and slowly to preserve the eggnog's fluffiness. A good whisk for the stirring and a high speed mixer for the egg-whites and cream helps this process immensely. Notes on taking this to a party below.

1. Separate eggs into yolks and whites in separate bowls (see below for a how-to). I put the whites into the mixer and the yolks into another bowl.
2. Beat egg-yolks with 1/2 of sugar, set aside.
3. Beat egg-whites until stiff, then mix in other 1/2 of sugar.
4. Pour the yolks into the whites and mix together slowly.
5. Stir in white rum slowly. Dark rum also works.
6. Stir in milk slowly (see below for dairy intolerance)
7. Stir in whiskey slowly (I use Jim Beam or Jack Daniels although any Bourbon, Canadian, or Sour Mash works)
8. Stir in 1/2 of cream slowly
9. Whip rest (1/2) of cream and fold it into the mixture carefully. Notes on how to fold below.
10. Serve at room temperature by ladling the eggnog into cups and sprinkle nutmeg on the top. Information on nutmeg grinders below. Try to get some of the foam and some of the liquid (if not fully mixed) in each cup.

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Notes

• Separating (how-to): I usually separate the egg yolk from the white by carefully cracking an egg over a cup and then slowly opening it up so that the bottom half of the shell holds the yolk. The excess white will run out into the cup. Then very carefully switch the yolk to the other half of the shell letting more white run out into the cup. Do this a couple of more times slowly keeping the yolk from mixing at all with the whites. When you are done you can transfer the yolk into a bowl with the others and the whites (with no yolk in it) into the bowl with the whites. If the yolk breaks at all then discard immediately.

  WARNING: With such a large number of eggs, it is recommended that for each egg, you separate the whites into a cup and then pour this cup into a larger container upon success. If you break a yolk into the whites you can then discard only that egg. Separating failures usually result on the last egg and will ruin the whites if any yolk gets in. A dozen eggs can be suddenly quite hard to find one holiday evening. If you do manage to drop some yolk into the whites, see if you can fish it out cleanly with a spoon immediately.

• Drinking responsibly: Albeit strong, this eggnog recipe makes a truly delicious drink -- I am quite biased of course. This translates into the fact that you need to make more than you expect since it will be consumed faster. This also means that you should encourage people to bring their designated drivers if they are interested in sampling. If you see me intoxicated (hosting, walking, or backseat driving I assure you) around the time of the holidays, you will know the reason why.
• Nonalcoholic: If you wish to leave out the nog, this recipe can be made nonalcoholic by substituting an equal amounts of milk for the rum and whiskey and it is still delicious. You can also just use 1/2 of the alcohol to make it less potent. You can also try adding more heavy cream. A teaspoon of vanilla will also add flavor missing from the alcohol. I've not tried it personally and I'd love to get more feedback on this.
• Raw eggs: People ask about the raw eggs in the eggnog. My grandfather always said that the alcohol "cures" the eggs although I'm not sure that's true. I tried pasteurized eggs and they do not work. They didn't separate well and the whites did not froth up at all. The FDA says that in unpasteurized eggs, one in 20,000 contain bad bacteria. I have made (and drunk) at least 200 batches and have never felt ill or had one of my guests feel bad. I usually buy the eggs just before I made the eggnog and keep them well refrigerated. In 2005 I made a batch with some organic eggs laid the day before and I've never had such yolks or foam. Yummy! I try to smell the egg when I crack it open and although I have never gotten a bad egg over the years -- I did get some bad cream. You can also try gently lowering the eggs into a container of water. Bad eggs should float because of a build up of gases, old eggs should sink slowly, while good eggs should sink nicely to the bottom of the container. You should never use unclean, cracked, broken or leaking eggs.
• Dairy intolerance: If you (or your guests) are lactose intolerant, there are a couple of options. This is different from a milk allergy which precludes all dairy products. I've not tried it but I hear that Lactaid milk found in many large markets tastes just like normal milk, maybe a bit sweeter. I assume it would be fine in eggnog. I have used sweet acidophilus milk which tastes like normal milk but has beneficial cultures and some varieties are lactose free. There are also milk alternatives such as almond or soy milk which might also work. If you have folks with intolerance, you could separate out some of the mixture made with one of these lactose-free milks for them to enjoy before you add any heavy cream. It will be less thick and a little stronger but it should be tasty. Others have used soy-based Silk coffee creamer as a thickener in place of the cream.
• Punch Cups: Eggnog is traditionally served in small crystal glasses or punch cups (right) which can be found in the US for ~$2 each in many antique stores.
• French toast: Although certainly almost as good as a drink the next morning, eggnog can be refrigerated overnight and used at breakfast by soaking bread in it and frying till browned for some excellent French toast -- adding butter and syrup at will.
• Folding (how-to): Julia Child suggests using a rubber spatula, dealing with 1/3 of the mixture of a time, and rotating the bowl until blended. Putting the spatula into the mixture and essentially bringing up to the top what was on the bottom. Move the bowl and do it again and keep doing it until the mixture has some consistency. In other words it is not still mostly whipped cream here and other there, but an airy light mixture generally. I've also used a whisk to fold with success.
• Taking to a party: If you are trying to take some eggnog to a party, you have a couple of options. I have had good success with the I did the egg-whites, yolks, liquids (alcohol, milk, 1/2 cream), and whipped cream each in their own container then mixed at the party.
• Nutmeg Grinders: Grinders or graters allow you to use whole nutmeg nuts which about the size of a large olive and are quite hard. I usually grind the nutmeg right on top of the individual eggnog servings although grinding a bunch into a shaker immediately ahead of the party will also work. The pre-ground stuff is just not as flavorful. I've also noticed that older nutmegs left over from last year are good but tend to jam the grinders more. You should be able to find a grinder at your local kitchen store. You can also use a microplane with great results -- just watch your fingers. If not, here are some online sources.
  • Best nutmeg grinder ever made by GEFU -- in Germany of course. I've used probably 20 different grinders and this one puts the rest to shame. It is easy to load, simple to use, and produces fine nutmeg shavings that are perfect. Maybe expensive but worth it.
  • Google products search for more ideas.

• History: My grandfather, Cyril K. Collins, was Assistant Vice President in charge of the Traffic Department of the Bell System, back when it was the sole US telephone company. He proposed and implemented such technologies as call-time discounts, testified before Congress numerous times about changes in regulations, and was involved with the introduction of direct-dialing and area codes. Before this all calls were routed by operators. He would have been fascinated by the transition of computers from telephone switching systems into the backbone of the information age.

  Just exchanged email with a woman who said that this was her father's recipe as well. As far as she knew her father got it from her grandfather who moved came over to Winnipeg, Canada from Lancashire, England. Interesting. Also heard that nog in Dutch can mean "more" which may explain the derivation of the name. This is also true in Afrikaans which is a form of old Dutch. Another reader sent me mail commenting that Irish and Scottish receipes that he's seen are very close to this. My grandfather's family emigrated from Ireland so maybe he brought it with him.

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