George Washington's Egg Nog Recipe

Rating

4.91 stars (21 reviews)

Keywords

alcohol, Christmas, cocktail, Colonial, Eggnog, historic

Ingredients

• 1 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup rye whiskey
• 1/2 cup Jamaican rum
• 1/4 cup sherry
• 6 large eggs (separated)
• 6 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• sweetened whipped cream
• fresh grated nutmeg
• cinnamon stick

Categories

• cocktails

Cuisine

• American

Reviews

• Ellen Easton on 2024-12-21 (5 stars):
  This will certainly get any party going ! And for those not inclined to make homemade try Lactaid Eggnog and doctor it with nutmeg and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!
• Leon Jester on 2024-10-15 (5 stars):
  Coffee cream is NOT half & half, it's a medium cream with a fat content of 18%. Half whole milk and half whipping cream (36% fat) is a close substitute.
• Donna Ford on 2021-12-15 (5 stars):
  Ha- I am also lactose intolerant and can't drink so I make it without alcohol and take some lactaid pills! I was just at Mt. Vernon two weeks ago! I live in southern Virginia and have all those cookbooks you allude two - in fact, I have the Mt. Vernon cookbook and Martha's Washington's Booke of Cookery and there are no eggnog recipes in them. Same with the Monticello cookbook. However, there is an excellent cookbook by Nancy Carter Crump (Hearthside Cooking) that has genuine colonial recipes in it (she used to work at Colonial Williamsburg back in the day I believe) and there's an eggnog recipe in there. The book has the original recipe and the modern equivalent.
• Nancy Fenton on 2021-12-13 (3 stars):
  So far I made three half batches because that's all the volume my mixer will hold. I poured the finished product into an empty Carlo Rossi glass wine jug. The first time, my egg whites did not incorporate well at all - it was a frothy overflowing mess. And afterwards, it separated in the jug. I shook it vigorously but it went back to being separated. The second batch came out great! And the third for some reason has way more volume in the jug and is separating too. Can I put it in a blender before serving? Should I just "wait and see" as it ferments? It tastes great, but I do not understand the disparity in the finished product. I used room temperature large eggs, poured the spirits in slowly, and added the cream and milk to get a smooth base. I whipped the egg whites just to stiff peaks, not overly stiff, and folded in a big scoop and then the rest. Any advice on the separating would be appreciated.
• Mary on 2020-12-07 (5 stars):
  Oh my goodness, this looks and sounds like a really nice drop. As there will only be 2 of us for Christmas (like a lot of others) I don’t think I had better tempt us. But I would certainly like to............ :)))
• low and slow on 2020-12-07 (5 stars):
  If I use my sous vide machine set to 135 degrees for two hours then will the eggs become pasteurized? BTW your husband is right about the the Maple Cheese Cake,the recipe is spot on was very successful,no cracks and really dense.thanks for the recipe.
• Shannon Molden on 2020-12-07 (5 stars):
  Apple Jack would be wonderful in it
• Ellie Hart on 2020-12-07 (5 stars):
  You can make it with coconut milk and water and it will still taste fabulous.
• Theresa Keller on 2020-12-07 (5 stars):
  What a great post! My mom's family were all from Virginia and I grew up on this version that was my g grandfather's. 1 dz fresh eggs beat well and add in 1/2 cup of sugar, continue to beat and add 1 fifth of apple jack brandy, 1 qt of 1/2 & 1/2 and 1 pint of whole milk, mix well and chill before serving. dust with nutmeg This is not real sweet, and I like to make bread pudding with it if there is any left! Happy Holidays to you!
• Donna Ford on 2020-12-07 (5 stars):
  Wow - this looks so good. Although I won't be able to partake (lactose intolerant and can't drink alcohol - life is so unfair sometimes!) my family will love it for Christmas. I read a lot of historical recipes, have been to Mount Vernon and read a lot about the food served there. The Mount Vernon website has a lot of great info and sells a book about the food grown, made, and served there. I know in the past eggs weren't the enormous size they are now which is why many recipes call for what seems an extraordinary amount of eggs in a single cake! Washington had his own distillery and many different sorts of alcohol were served. Anyway, fascinating stuff if you're into that sort of thing. I've lived in Virginia my whole life and have visiting the presidents' homes (Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe). All of them have associated cook books. Have a great holiday!