Love it or loathe it - the complex world of eggnog

As the weather gets colder and the Christmas season advances upon us, people start to cozy up together to keep warm, watch Christmas movies, attend work/social/family gatherings and other festive-esque activities. A staple part of this tradition is the consumption of the love it or loathe it Christmas drink, eggnog.

There’s a mystique I just don’t understand surrounding this mysterious yuletide beverage that only appears in the Christmas months, also known to me as the “Santa of boozy beverages”.
People who grew up in a ‘nog house rave about the drink and insist that the best kind is homemade. Other fans of the festive drink will tell you the store bought swill is just as good.
To me, the 50 percent cream and egg and 50 percent booze sounds like a winning combination.

There are many different sides to this beverage and here, we’ll look at the history, the good and the about eggnog.

The History of Eggnog

According to good ol’ Wikipedia:
“Eggnog originated from the early medieval" British drink called posset, which was made with hot milk that was curdled with wine or ale and flavoured with spices. In the Middle Ages, posset was used as a cold and flu remedy. Posset was popular from medieval times to the 19th century. Eggs were added to some posset recipes. 13th century, monks were known to drink a posset with eggs and figs. A 17th century recipe for "My Lord of Carlisle’s Sack-Posset" uses a heated mixture of cream, whole cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, eighteen egg yolks, eight egg whites, and one pint of Sack wine (a fortified white wine related to sherry). At the end, sugar, ambergris (a flavouring product that comes from the digestive tract of sperm whales) and animal musk are stirred in. Posset was traditionally served in two-handled pots. The aristocracy had costly posset pots made from silver.”

My history of eggnog was seeing in the milk section at the grocery store about 30 years ago as a child.

The Good

It’s available for a few weeks a year, so it gives eggnog lovers something to look forward to. It almost has a cult-like following and the nostalgia that hits you with every sip.  Many eggnog lovers can call upon a plethora of wonderful stories that ‘nog is associated with. 
It’s smooth and creamy. It’s Christmas in a 1 litre carton. Did I mention it’s delicious?
You can put it in your coffee/tea as a milk/cream substitute.
You can drink it straight out of the carton or mix it with Peppermint Schnapps, Rum, Whiskey or Bourbon or Amaretto. Seeing as the real eggnog is made with rum, brandy or bourbon and sometimes cognac, you’re amplifying the taste by mixing alcohol with it, for those of you that like alcohol.

For you straight shooters, straight out of the carton is just as good.
Whether its spending time with a close family member, or that time Uncle Chad told those hilarious inappropriate stories after downing too much ‘nog; there is no Christmas without eggnog.
It also comes in different flavours, for you adventure seekers. Chocolate, French Toast, Pumpkin, Vanilla, Sugar Cookie, Cinnamon and a ton of others.

The Bad

Just as some love it, there are those that loathe it and swear up and down that it tastes awful. It has an incredibly weird texture…kinda like drinking gruel.
Also, being basically cream and eggs it is incredibly filling. If you ever need to fill up quickly just take 4 sips of eggnog and that’s your liquid meal.  
A basic recipe calls for 12 servings calls for 12 egg yolks, 4 cups of milk, 4 cups of light cream and 1.5 cups of sugar. I mean, come on! That’s waaaayyyy too much dairy, even for one serving! And let’s be honest; rarely anyone has a proper 1 cup serving (250ml) I suppose you could get eggnog light to lesson the massive consumption of cholesterol. 
The thing non-noggers dislike the most about ‘nog is the people who love eggnog. Telling a ‘nog head you hate it is will prompt a battery of social media insults, cut eye, snide comments and even the amazing eye-rolling emoji.

Are you a lover or loather of eggnog? Tell us in the comments section. We’ll read them as we sip on a frosty mug (that holds 500ml) of eggnog.