Not Your Grandma's Eggnog is a delicious holiday drink to be enjoyed all holiday/winter long! Rich, creamy, sweet, and easy to make!
It's officially the holidays!! *Alexa, play "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway"* Grab a cup of this Not Your Grandma's Eggnog and let's chat! Have you decorated your tree yet? Are your stocking hung by the chimney with care?! Well, for me, we put up our tree last weekend and I am LOVING all of the warm lights and Christmas music in the background. In addition to all of the adornments, nothing screams holiday more than eggnog. This eggnog, specifically.
No shade to the store bought eggnog, but that's not eggnog (in my opinion). THIS is eggnog. It's rich and creamy, it's full of cinnamon and clove and nutmeg and ginger ... and frankly, it's simply delicious. It's not your grandma's eggnog! In addition to being delicious, it's SUPER easy to make.
Typically, eggnog has either rum or vodka. However, this Not Your Grandma's eggnog uses bourbon... because you guessed it, it's not your grandma's. lol But I wanted to use bourbon because bourbon has really deep and beautiful flavors like caramel and vanilla and butterscotch. In my humble opinion, I think that this choice of spirits goes exceptionally well with the spices listed above. I often pair bourbon with cinnamon because it's the perfect marriage. It also add a really smooth touch to the eggnog and makes it even more enjoyable.
Not Your Grandma's Eggnog
So tell me, do you typically decorate for Christmas before or after Thanksgiving? Because we ALWAYS decorate for Christmas November 1st (or the first weekend after Halloween) but this year, things were a bit different. Today is the first day that I actually felt the christmas spirit. So weird because this is my ACTUAL favorite time of the year... although I was a bit sad to say goodbye to pumpkin season. But here we are.
if I omit alcohol, will it change the recipe?
Absolutely not! With or without alcohol, this eggnog is delicious! Not adding alcohol will not alter the taste or consistency of the eggnog.
how long will the eggnog stay fresh?
Because this is fresh eggnog without any preservatives, I would only store this up to 3-4 days MAX. However, 9 times out of 10, after you taste this eggnog, you'll want to drink all of it immediately! For best storage practice, I would store this eggnog in a glass container with an airtight lid, such as a mason jar. It'll keep it freshest the longest!
what do I need to make this eggnog?
I highly recommend using a hand mixer for this recipe, but you can use a stand mixer as well. The hand mixer comes in handy when mixing the egg yolks and the egg whites. The stand mixer is a bit higher up from the bottom of bowl. With a hand mixer, I can really beat the eggs and get them nice and frothy. You will also need a large sauce pan and a sieve. The sieve is not mandatory but I highly recommend it because it ensures that the eggnog is super smooth in texture. In addition, this isn't mandatory, but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND using freshly grated nutmeg for this recipe. It is NOT mandatory, but it makes a really nice difference in the taste!
any tips?
For this recipe, you do not want to bring the milk to a boil. When warming the milk over low heat, ensure that it only comes to a light simmer. In addition, if you like a thinner eggnog, add 3 cups of milk as opposed to the 2 ½ suggested below.
Douglass Anne Cartwright says
Just curious where the sieve should be used? Before mixing everything together at the end?
Thanks for the recipe! It looks yummy!
Britney Chamberlain says
Hi! You would use the sieve to strain the eggnog after it's finihed simmering on the stove top. You would strain the eggnog as you pour it into the water bath. I hope that this helps!
Alexis Pfeiffer says
The eggnog was phenomenal! Now I know how to make homemade eggnog anytime despite the season ???? You're right it's not your grandma's recipe it's even better!!! And just for anyone wondering. I stored the eggnog into 32 oz mason jars in filled up about 2ish jars. Thank you for the recipe ⛄
Faith says
Loved this recipe!
Britney Chamberlain says
So happy to hear that! Thank you!