December 20, 2022
Nog Your Average Holiday Drink
Love it or hate it – 'tis the season for eggnog.
How Americans named the simple (yet odd) concoction of milk, eggs, and booze – and why you should be drinking it in a wooden mug.
Toasting History
Egg… What?
"Colonists referred to rum as grog; bartenders served rum in small wooden carved mugs called noggins. Thus the drink eventually became egg-n-grog and over time eggnog."
Dr. Fred Opie, food historian and Babson college professor. By the time the name “eggnog” gained popularity around 1800, the recipe was commonly made with milk, eggs, rum, and sugar.
Why a holiday drink?
Eggnog Fun Facts
If eggnog has raw eggs in it, why is it safe to drink? Store-bought eggnog is pasteurized (heat-treated to kill bacteria). If you make it at home, the FDA advises heating it because alcohol alone won’t make it safe… unless it’s like… George Washington strong.
- The Long, Rich, Boozy History of Eggnog: Smithsonian Institute
- Way More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Eggnog:
Mental Floss - FoodSafety.gov on homemade eggnog:
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/12/alcohol-content-doesnt-matter-raw-eggs-can-spike-your-nog-with-salmonella/ - Eggnog versions from around the world: The Daily Meal
- President George Washington’s eggnog recipe: (consume wisely!)
https://www.almanac.com/content/george-washingtons-christmas-eggnog
by Jenna Lee,
