Holiday Rum Eggnog

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                          H O L I D A Y   R U M   E G G N O G

                                               INTRODUCTION

If there is one rum cocktail that is synonymous with the winter festive season, it is Holiday Rum Eggnog. Bringing out the socialite in every sip, the cocktail is a delicious December staple. However, it is also the fuel for many New Year’s resolutions come January. The beverage rich in flavor and texture also contains copious amounts of calories and sugar. And although not the healthiest of rum cocktails, Holiday Rum Eggnog will always have its place at our respective holiday tables as a nod to its roots which can be traced back to the Medieval era. 

                                      MATERIALS & METHODS

                                              Holiday Rum Eggnog Recipe

Ingredients:

  • Dark Rum– 2.0 oz (60 mL)
  • *Classic Eggnog – 6.0 0z – (180 mL)  
  • Whipped Cream – 1 TBSP
  • Ground Nutmeg – 1/8 TSP

Directions:

  1. Add eggnog to an ice-filled Boston shaker.
  2. Add dark rum to the Boston shaker.
  3. Shake vigorously for 8 to 10 seconds.
  4. Pour into a cocktail glass.
  5. Garnish with whipped cream and nutmeg.

                                        Alton Brown’s Classic Eggnog (1):

Ingredients:

  •  4 egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup sugar, plus
  • 1 tablespoon
  • 1 pint whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2.5 ounces dark rum
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 4 egg whites

Directions:

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar until the yolks lighten in color and the sugar is completely dissolved.
  2. Add the milk, cream, rum, and nutmeg and stir to combine.
  3. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks.
  4. With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
  5. Gently fold the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.

                                           DISCUSSION

Historical Origin

A cocktail sipped by kings, Presidents, and poets alike over the centuries, Holiday Rum Eggnog has a rich history that can be traced back to usage by 13th century monks. While the drink’s lineage is still debated even to today, critics for the most part have come to agreement that the cocktail evolved initially from a medieval dessert and drink called Posset. Posset later became infamous when it was mentioned in the Journals of the House of Lords. Posset, a concoction made from curdled milk enriched with sugar and alcohol, likely sherry or white wine, was often used to treat colds and fevers, and was used to treat King Charles I in 1620.

Fast forward through the centuries, over time Posset changed, and new ingredients were being added, one of which was egg-yolk. It was during this time-frame also that science took grip of the cocktail with the insistence that hot cream or milk and eggs should have alcohol added to it, and not vice-versa, to keep the alcohol from curdling the cocktail.  Indeed, this is true because fresh milk, which is roughly 90% water, typically has a pH ~6.7 and is slightly less acidic than water which has a pH of 7.0. Because alcohol is acidic, bringing the pH down causes significant curdling as the milk touches alcohol. With eighty percent of the protein in milk being casein, these proteins bind together under harsh acidic environments (2). 

It is at the turn of the 17th century where the debate on the etymology of spirited eggnog really gets heated with both the British and the American colonists laying claim to its origin. The first known use of to the word “nog” was in 1693 when the English referred to a “nog” as either a strong ale brewed in East Anglia, and alternatively as an abbreviation for the English word “noggin”, a short wooden cup used to serve alcohol (3). However, the first documented use of the term “eggnog” to define the cocktail occurred on the other side of the Atlantic in the New World in 1775 when Jonathan Boucher, a Maryland clergyman and philologist, wrote a poem which he mentions the drink’s name (4):

                                         "Fog-drams i’ th’ morn, or (better still) egg-nogg,

                                                         At night hot-suppings, and at                                        

                                              mid-day, grogg,My palate can regale..."

It was in the New World that rum made its official entrance into the cocktail. Holiday Rum Eggnog quickly became popular among the American colonists because it was much more abundant and less expensive than importing spirits from Europe. And with the more readily available sources of dairy and eggs, it was a drink available to all classes, and not just reserved to British elite. 

Flavor Profile

Rum

While brandy and bourbon may also be paired with eggnog, a heavy-bodied (dark) rum is more commonly used. The addition of a high-congener dark rum adds richness in flavor and contains a large share of esters. These esters act as flavoring agents and contribute to the spirit’s delectable aroma. It’s worth noting that there are low-congener dark rums, however the color is achieved by adding caramel for coloring, whereas most dark rums attain their dark color from the process of being aged and stored in charred oak barrels.

Eggnog

Homemade eggnog, like custard, in its simplest form is made by mixing milk, sugar, and raw eggs. Although like custard, the only real difference between the two is that custard is heated, while eggnog is not. For years however there has been concern about the safety of drinking cocktails that contain raw eggs. Recently the FDA stated that the alcohol in eggnog is not enough to immediately sterilize eggs that may be contaminated with Salmonella, a bacterium that may lead to food poisoning. If one is making home-made eggnog it is recommended to heat (but not to the point of making a custard) the milk-egg mixture during preparation or use commercial pasteurized eggs. Today, the FDA for safety reasons has altered the definition of eggnog to include artificial replacements for the large number of eggs used in commercially sold eggnog. In fact, the FDA regulations only require that 1.0 percent of a product’s final weight be made up of egg yolk solids to use the name, “eggnog” (5).  Whether using fresh homemade eggnog or commercially sourced eggnog when making the Holiday Rum Eggnog cocktail, it is always recommended to make sure that the cocktail is always refrigerated and at least in a 20% ABV (Alcohol By Volume) format if it is to be stored for long periods of time. 

Additional Ingredients

  • Whipped Cream is a culinary colloid, a mixture in which one substance is suspended evenly throughout another substance and produced when heavy cream is subjected to mechanical aeration (6). Whipped cream purchased commercially expands rapidly, as most commercial forms of whipped cream are packaged under extreme pressure using nitrous gas. Whipped cream contains at least 35% fat, and when the pressure is released, bubbles are produced giving it its whipped appearance.
  • Ground Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) is achieved by grinding the seed of the nutmeg into a fine powder. Nutmeg provides a slightly sweet, pungent flavor, and enhances the overall aromatic properties of the cocktail.

                                             NUTRITION

There is good reason that Holiday Rum Eggnog is the fuel for gregarious holiday celebrations and New Year’s resolutions. The cocktail is loaded with carbohydrates, sugar, and total fats, and is most certainly a guilty pleasure. However, there are variations that can be made to make it less unhealthy. Eggnog can be made less sweet by using a zero-calorie sweetener like Stevia to bring the carbohydrate count down. Another trick to provide a slightly healthier alternative is to offer soy milk, rice milk, or coconut milk-based products as a substitute for cow’s milk which will further reduce the carbohydrate and sugar intake.

                                         NUTRITION FACTS

                                                             (Amount Per 1 Fl oz)

Calories:                                56.3

Total Fat:                                 2.0 g

Cholesterol:                           13.4 mg

Sodium:                                 18 mg

Total Carbohydrates:               4.4 g

Dietary Fiber:                            0 g

Sugar:                                     6.0 g

                                         CONCLUSION

If any cocktail could be considered the Ambassador for the Holiday season, Holiday Rum Eggnog would be a prime candidate. A rum cocktail with a rich history, eggnog paired with rum has been aiding holiday partygoers for years.  While the cocktail does not possesses much in the way of healthy attributes, one cannot deny the cocktail’s ability to amplify the holiday spirit.

                                        REFERENCES

  1. Brown, A. (2019). Eggnog. Retrieved from: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/eggnog-recipe-1956960 
  2. Rose, B. (2014). The Scientific Formula for Perfect Eggnog. Gizmodo. Retrieved from: https://gizmodo.com/the-scientific-formula-for-perfect-eggnog-5970420 
  3. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2019). Definition of NOG. Retrieved from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nog 
  4. Zimmer, B. (2009). The Origins of “Eggnog,” Holiday Grog. Retrieved from: https://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/the-origins-of-eggnog-holiday-grog/ 
  5. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=131.170 
  6. Wikipedia. (2019). Whipped Cream. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipped_cream