Mouser Ranch Egg Nog 2022

Egg nog is a tradition I enjoy every Christmas. I dislike store bought egg nog, which is much too sweet and does not go down well.

This started as a series of experiements with several online recipes. It’s rich but not too sweet.

• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup raw whole milk
• 3/4 cup raw heavy cream
• 1/4 cup bourbon (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

1. Seperate egg yokes from whites (see experiments below for possible use of the whites).

2. Beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color.

3. Gradually add the honey and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved.

4. Add the milk, cream, bourbon, salt, vanilla, and nutmeg. Mix until combined.

5. Chill the egg nog in the refrigerator.

6. Whisk before poring to serve, top with ground nutmeg and/or cinnamon per preference.

Makes four servings.

Since this is not cooked, source your eggs and dairy well. Alternately, see the old school experiment below.

Experiments you can try:

First two experiments use the egg whites, I hate wasting them.

1. Don’t separate the yokes and whites, use whole eggs in step 2 above. This works well for me and is how I make it now.

For a more frothy egg nog, add the whites as follows:

1. Cover and refrigerate whites until chilled.

2. Just before serving, beat chilled egg whites until stiff peaks form.

3. Whisk the egg whites into the mixture and pour into cups or small glasses.

For a richer egg nog:

1. Reduce milk, increase heavy cream; 1 cup heavy creme and 1/2 cup milk is rich and creamy.

For a different spice profile (I’ve been told this is spicy):

1. Reduce nutmeg and/or cinnamon by half.

For a sligtly different flavor:

1. Substitute pure cane syrup or maple syrup for honey.

An old school approach:

1. Mix the bourbon, egg yoks, maple syrup, and spices together but don’t add the dairy.

2. Cover and allow mixture to age in the fridge a few days.

3. Add dairy, etc. to complete the egg nog as above.