Spiked Eggnog Recipe

Spiked Eggnog Recipe

This spiked eggnog recipe has to be one of the most delicious concoctions we’ve ever stumbled into. These are truly original and delightfully bizarre little drinks, somewhere between boozy cocktails and Irish desserts. The product of messing around in the kitchen, armed with one bottle of whiskey and several inquisitive minds. It may not be for the purists, but if you’ve bored of the same old eggnog and are open to a unique taste, this spiked eggnog recipe is for you.

To make this rather one of a kind spiked eggnog recipe, you’ll need at least three basic ingredients: Egg(white)s, Honey and some hard Alcohol of your choice.

Whiskey Eggnog

Given our inclination for Irish liquor, we chose a run-of-the-mill, commercial Irish whiskey to bring some Christmas spirit to proceedings. You won’t taste the finer notes of the liquor anyway, so don’t volunteer the good stuff for this whiskey eggnog mission. Brandy or cognac also work, and probably bourbon, too. But the latter goes unvouched for from our side.

Whiskey Eggnog

If you feel you’re cheating too much by veering too far from the ‘real’ eggnog recipe, milk/cream and whatever multitude of spices you fancy can also go in. But what we present here is the basic, thick and sweet recipe – you can either drink it in this condensed form or dilute it further. This spiked eggnog recipe is a kind of makey-uppey affair anyway, so do go nuts and evolve it to match your envisioning. The ANTIblog is all about putting you, the reader, in the driving seat.

After all, nothing is ever ‘complete’ in this life. We can play the food fascist, getting lost in – and being made ever more narrow by – the ‘fixed’, ‘correct’ and ultimately limited parameters presented to us. Or we can bring our own, ever-adaptive human creativity to each recipe we make. We’d be intrigued to hear what people conjure up.

Spiked Eggnog Recipe
Juggle out the egg white, crack open the honey.

Making your spiked eggnog

Similar to traditional Irish desserts like honey and strawberry mousse, you start by Separating the Whites of two Eggs and gently Heating the Honey in a Saucepan over Very Low Heat. The egg white can be beaten before it’s added to the honey. The extent to which you let whitey have it really depends on what kind of drink you’re looking for. We gave it just a very quick beating, until the egg white was just starting to fluff up, then chucked it in with the honey. If you’d prefer a lighter, frothier end product, beat the H(eck) of those chicken orbs.

Spiked Eggnog Recipe
Honey on the glow, ready to go.

With our honey-egg white mix now in the pan, we Cooked it over Very Low Heat for about 12 minutes. Stirring all the while. Our health and safety inspector had just passed us with flying colors, so we reckoned we’d run the (low) risk of salmonella (as kids, we always said ‘an salmon eile’ – a hodgepodge of English and Irish terms, in proppa English ‘the other salmon’).

Spiked Eggnog Recipe
The egg white goes in..

If salmonellosis does really scare you, or you genuinely suspect that world leaders are out to get you and your children (in particular), consider bringing the mix up to a temperature of 160° F (71° C) – or using pasteurized egg whites.

Whiskey Eggnog
Keep Stirring!

Adaptable spiked eggnog recipe

Once the mixture had been heated, we simply threw in the Whiskey and Stirred. All of a sudden, there we had it, our secret recipe for whiskey eggnog was accidentally born – and the Christmas spirit level had jumped noticeably. A gleaming pan of thick egg and whiskey goodness for what ails you.

If you’re going to Milk it up a bit, this point in the process would be an excellent time to do so. And Nutmeg or Cinnamon, etc. can be added now, too. In the basic version we present here what you essentially have is a thick, alcoholic and super sweet whiskey eggnog – or ‘whiskey egg drink’ to the purists.

Whiskey Eggnog
The mixture should soon thicken up nicely

Cover your creation and Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Due to its high alcohol content, your whiskey eggnog will keep for some time, aging and thickening in the fridge. Made straight up, we’d recommend drinking in *small* amounts. Just like you would with any other short drink.

Sweet honey

The secret recipe of this whiskey eggnog is that despite not sticking to the script, you shine bright and really hit the (sweet) spot. In the world of the humans or that of spiked eggnog fiends.

Spiked Eggnog Recipe

As regards the bee juice, this can also be played around with. Using a sweet honey like Orange Blossom or Tupelo brings a startling amount of zing to this spiked eggnog recipe. The liquor and that super sweet honey hit converge on your tongue and before you know it your eyes have done that thing china dolls do when turned on their head. Although your reaction will likely depend on how much sugar you’re used to consuming.

Brandy Eggnog

We’ve found that a decidedly complimentary flavor can be achieved by using Irish strawberry tree honey and brandy. Giving you a brandy eggnog with a uniquely robust and rich yet bitter, creamy flavor that’s incredibly hard to pin down. Even as heirs to the Irish love of adjectives, we’re at a loss to provide the apt one here. If you can imagine the taste of chestnut, molasses cookies, guarana beans and black grapes all mashed up together, you’re on the right track.

This very specific taste comes thanks to the equally undefinable Irish strawberry tree, as bees snacking on the flowers of this shrub-cum-tree produce a remarkable honey, woody and bittersweet in taste. One that’s an ever more sought-after gourmet item.

The Irish Strawberry Tree – Arbutus Unedo

Sometimes called the Killarney strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo grows wild in much of the Mediterranean region, but fascinatingly enough also flourishes in small patches scattered across the West of Ireland. Hence its name. Botanists cite Irish examples as an isolated relic population, a hark back to prehistoric times, when places like Kerry and Sligo were a little less rainy and a good deal hotter.

Arbutus Unedo
The Irish strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo.

Honey derived from the various species of Arbutus unedo typically comes from Italy or the Iberian peninsula, and you ought to be able to find it at a good specialist store. Use it in your brandy eggnog and you’re in for a treat, but as always we encourage you to experiment the beJesus out of the kitchen, using the spiked eggnog recipe presented here as Guidelines rather than Gospel.

Arbutus Unedo
The fruit of the Irish strawberry tree are small edible berries. Delightfully sweet in taste, mushy on the inside, and with very brittle skin.

Ingredients for your spiked eggnog recipe

Makes 4 (undiluted) shorts or 4 long drinks (with milk)

  • 8 oz (230 g) Honey
  • Whites of 2 Egg
  • 4 oz (120 ml) Irish Whiskey [Brandy/Cognac/Bourbon]
  • [15 oz. (450 ml) Milk]
  • [Spices of your choice – Cinnamon, Nutmeg, etc.]
[ ] – optional

Directions

  1. Separate the Egg Whites and Whisk.
  2. Pour the Honey into a Saucepan and gently heat.
  3. Add the Egg Whites and Cook over Very Low Heat for 10-15 minutes, until the mixture has become nice and thick. Stir constantly.
  4. Turn your mixture into whiskey eggnog by Adding the alcohol and Stirring.
  5. Add Milk and Spices according to preference.
  6. Cover and Chill in the Fridge for at least 1 hour.