Homemade Eggnog

What are the holidays without eggnog, I ask you?  Don’t you just love holding a glass of eggnog, smelling the nutmeg, the vanilla, perhaps a little brandy (or bourbon or rum)?  It’s just so festive and Christmas-y.  The problem is that I never actually enjoy drinking it.  I'm not a big fan of the thick, rich, cloyingly sweet stuff sold in cartons, and for the life of me, I don't know why it's taken me so long to make some myself.  

Eggnog is GOOD stuff!  Well, THIS eggnog is definitely good stuff.  As I went in search of just the right recipe, I began to realize that it might not exist, and perhaps I was just going to have to create my own.  The eggnog that I want to drink can't be too rich or too thick, it must have just the right amount of alchyhaul, and it must have aromas redolent of nutmeg and vanilla. 

So after many hours of tortuous research (I'm here for you guys), I think I've come up with the recipe for the perfect eggnog that I've always imagined sipping as I decorate the tree or wrap presents or hang out with the fam.  Feel free to personalize this however you like, because really, eggnog should be more personal than opening a carton, don't you think?  It would be perfectly wonderful without any alcohol at all, which is how I remember drinking my Mom's eggnog long before we began to rely on that carton in the store.  The recipe makes about 6 cups, but you can double it if you have the storage and expect long lines at the eggnog bowl.  Oh, and you really must make this right away.  It gets better the longer it sits in the fridge, so by New Years it ought to be awesome!

Homemade Eggnog
Printable Recipe

6 large eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup half and half
2 cups of 2% or whole milk
3/4 to 1 cup of bourbon
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup brandy
Pinch of kosher salt
1/2 of a whole nutmeg
2 tsps vanilla (I used vanilla paste)

1.   Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl and whisk until well- blended and creamy (the yolks should get rather thick – you can use a standing mixer or I use a blender).

2.  Add half and half, milk, bourbon, rum, brandy, salt, and vanilla.  Grate the nutmeg into the bowl and then stir to mix thoroughly.

3.  Refrigerate until ready to use.  Grate more nutmeg into each glass when serving.