Nana’s Eggnog

I was feeling a little festive last week, finally getting into the swing of the season, and decided to tackle an eggnog recipe in advance of the SacFoodies holiday party. I stumbled upon Nana’s Eggnog recipe, courtesy of Nugget Markets, which seemed fabulously festive and easy on the prep and cook time.
First things first, I needed to stock the bar with some serious alcohol to brew up this homemade nog – rum, whiskey and brandy – go, Nana, go! I also purchased two glass bottles (33.75 oz each) with an easy-to-latch swing top – each simple enough to fill and dress up for a hostess gift or to add to any holiday bar.

Nana’s Eggnog
Yield 1.5 gallons
Prep Time 20-25 minutes
Cook Time 8-10 minutes
Ingredients
1 dozen eggs
I cup sugar
5 cups whole milk
12 ounces (1 can) evaporated milk
1 fifth of whiskey (3.2 cups)
1 cup rum (dark)
1 cup brandy
Sprinkle and mix in Nutmeg before chilling
Directions
Beat eggs and sugar in a mixer at high speed about 4-6 minutes, until thickened, light and frothy. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat whole milk and evaporated milk to 200°F (use a candy thermometer).  Put mixer on low speed and slowly add hot milk. Transfer mixture to a double boiler and heat, whisking slowly, to 165°F or until thick. Remove from heat. Finish by adding whiskey, rum and brandy slowly, one at a time. Chill and then transfer to glass bottles.
A few notes: I made a last-minute decision to cut back on the whiskey only adding 1 cup versus more than 3 cups, because (wow) it was getting very strong. While the flavor was more pleasing to my palate, it changed the consistency after cooling, making it a bit thicker than one would want their eggnog to be … but mixed with a little milk once chilled, it was back on track. Lastly, the directions seemed easy at the onset, but I wish I would have made sure I had all the items I needed on hand before starting the process: a candy/oil thermometer, double boiler and several mixing bowls. With simultaneous mixing and heating to the perfect temperatures, it would have been helpful to have everything out on the countertop in advance. Don’t be afraid. Try it!