What's your fave eggnog?

November 28, 2007 11:07 AM

Fancying myself a connoisseur of egg nog, I want to know your favorite pre-manufactured egg nogs (both alcoholic and non), and your favorite (or even "secret") family recipes to help me find the the best nog ever.

Before you snark: I have checked Google. My google-fu is strong. But I want the opinions of a bunch of people that I would wager, on average, end up in a higher percentile of "good taste" than the unwashed google'd masses.

Also, if you are recommending a store-bought nog that is not a regional brand (that is, probably everything except Bordens), I would really appreciate also hearing what area you are buying it in so I know where it's available.

Thanks-- I look forward to trying them all!

posted by mboszko to food & drink (28 answers total)

err… I meant, "*is* a regional brand". Thanks!
posted by mboszko at 11:09 AM on November 28, 2007

I'm a huge fan of the nog too. Borden, as you say, is by far the most readily available and luckily it's pretty good. Not great, but prettu good.

For me, the best nog concoction is the Santa's Beard.

2 parts prepared egg nog
1 part brandy
1 part white creme de cacao
Shake and serve over ice in an old-fashioned glass with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

M!
posted by dirtdirt at 11:23 AM on November 28, 2007

Regional: Wawa egg nog is pretty fine.
posted by zamboni at 11:24 AM on November 28, 2007

Previously...

I'm craving some T.G. Lee 'nog right now, and contemplating two home made recipes:

* Alton Brown's

* And this stronger, more spirited competitor
posted by jbrjake at 11:25 AM on November 28, 2007

Oh, and dataphage's recipe from last year looks intriguing.
posted by jbrjake at 11:30 AM on November 28, 2007

C. F. Burger Creamery (Web site contains only address and phone number in Michigan) is by far the best that I have had recently—thick, creamy, and a fairly rounded flavor. Purchased in upstate New York. (In comparison with the local supermarket version, two other brands (I can't remember exactly which), and one made by Hood, which may be a more specificially New England option.)
posted by yz at 11:31 AM on November 28, 2007

The recipe I use every Christmas for our holiday party gets raves. I got it from another guy, a man who really knows his alcoholic drinks, after coaxing it from him at a party where he served it. He, in turn, had gotten it in 1980 from a Tar Heel who had had the recipe in his family for generations.

After all that, I won't post the full recipe here, but the big secret like in many foods is to use quality ingredients. Here, they essentially are:

Non-alcoholic components
-------------------------------
Eggs
Sugar
Salt
Heavy Cream
Regular Milk
Nutmeg
Vanilla

Alcohol
---------------
Bourbon (the best)
Rye Whiskey
Sherry
dark Jamaican Rum

The ratios favor the alcohol here to make a strong and flavorful drink. The mixing and stirring is important as is the fact that this should be made and then refrigerated at least 24 hours before it is consumed.
posted by vacapinta at 11:32 AM on November 28, 2007

jbrjake: I did see that "previously," but as it was three years ago, I thought there might be some new members with good ideas. :)

Where would I get " T.G. Lee"? I'm on the east coast of the U.S., and I'm not familiar with that.
posted by mboszko at 11:33 AM on November 28, 2007

Strauss Family Creamery egg nog is my personal favorite. It is available in the western US.
posted by beetsuits at 11:38 AM on November 28, 2007

I have to second the Alton Brown recipe linked to by jbrjake. It's really quite good, especially with some George Dickel.
posted by c0nsumer at 11:38 AM on November 28, 2007

Silk Soy Nog is pretty good.
posted by electroboy at 11:39 AM on November 28, 2007

mboszko: oh, sorry, wasn't sure if you'd seen the archive threads. I've been scouring aks.me and google all day for eggnog recipes, was just throwing in the links I'd found ;>

T.G. Lee is a mass-market dairy purveyor here in Florida, known for their bright yellow packaging. I had thought they were a force throughout the southeastern US, but on closer inspection it looks like they're a purely Floridian institution. I'd doubt their recipe is much different from other supermarket brands, though.
posted by jbrjake at 11:42 AM on November 28, 2007

Silk Nog. Tastes great, even though I'm not a soy nut. Found in Wild Oats.
posted by user92371 at 11:43 AM on November 28, 2007

Since this nog from 256.com comes up fairly high on the Google search, and since the site owner is so enthusiastic about it, I made some on Monday Night to drink during the football game.

It was far too strong, both in taste and in alcoholic effect. If I am going to be drinking booze this strong, I'd prefer just to sip bourbon.

I also got food poisoning from it, probably from the raw eggs (even though they were fresh, organic, antibiotic free, and free range.)

So in case anyone was scouring Google for great egg nog recipes I'd advise giving this one a pass.
posted by ikkyu2 at 12:09 PM on November 28, 2007

I think the big secret is to separate the eggs, which is not done in every recipe. Here's one that does. By beating the whites and yolks separately you get a very light and fluffy drink.
posted by beagle at 12:12 PM on November 28, 2007

In the grand state of Maine, Oakhurst is the way to go.
posted by lampoil at 12:16 PM on November 28, 2007

I've made Alton Brown's recipe for parties for the past two years, and everybody has been asking me lately if I'm making it again this year. It's really really good.
posted by schustafa at 12:35 PM on November 28, 2007

Whenever you use nutmeg, always, always, always use fresh ground (you can use a cheese grater on the nut).

It makes nutmeg INFINITELY better. If you don't have whole nutmegs, you can use a mortar and pestle on pre-ground nutmeg as a step in the right direction.

When I get home tomorrow, I'll give you an old New Orleans recipe for the nog.
posted by Pants! at 12:39 PM on November 28, 2007

Most years, in place of eggnog, I make that close Southern alternative, boiled custard. To the linked recipe, I also add a tablespoon of cornstarch whisked in, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and I make it with a pint of whole milk, and a pint of 1/2 & 1/2. It avoids the raw egg problems of true egg nog, and stands up really well to dilution with copious amounts of Southern Comfort and brandy, stirred in to taste, right before serving. And I top with whipped cream, and garnish with a little fresh coconut, of course.
posted by paulsc at 12:52 PM on November 28, 2007

You don't know if there are any sugar-free nogs by chance? That's a lot of sugar...
posted by answergrape at 1:15 PM on November 28, 2007

Lampoil is correct, but sadly, you are unlikely to be within reach of Oakhurst Dairy. I like my Oakhurst eggnog on crushed ice, with a generous slug of coffee brandy. For extra goodness, put the eggnog and ice in the blender.
posted by theora55 at 1:24 PM on November 28, 2007

and one more vote for Alton Brown's egg nog recipe. We do the cooked custard and pasteurized egg whites version, to avoid the specter of salmonella.
posted by leahwrenn at 2:22 PM on November 28, 2007

Thanks for all the responses so far-- I'd love to hear more! I've been looking forward to trying AB's version as well. I'm glad to hear there are so many votes for it.

It sounds like there's not really much love for the generic grocery store varieties, but if Oakhurst is any indication, perhaps I should poke around at my local small dairies. There was one local dairy variety I found last year that was definitely the best store-bought I've ever had. I've misplaced the name, though, so I'll have to report back when I find it again.

I do have an uncle in Maine, though, so maybe he can FedEx me some Oakhurst.
posted by mboszko at 2:46 PM on November 28, 2007

Anderson Erickson in Iowa makes some fine egg nog. I've found that most other store bought nogs try to emulate the taste of an alcoholic egg nog. I had some luck recently with whatever the organic brand Shaw's stocks. I can't remember the brand, but I gave it a shot because it had individual ingredients listed instead of just "Natural and/or Artificial Flavoring."
posted by clockwork at 4:43 PM on November 28, 2007

My family loves Broguiere's. I don't know if they're a California thing or not. Part of the fun is the glass bottles. The other part is that it is like drinking butter.
posted by crinklebat at 6:30 PM on November 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

One year I had nothing to mix with my nog (from Altadena dairy here in Southern California) except Amaretto. Now I don't drink it with anything else.
posted by Skychief at 8:48 PM on November 28, 2007

I have this recipe (credited to Chow magazine) bookmarked. It's for a very alcoholic and aged eggnog. I can't wait to try it.
posted by cali at 9:21 PM on November 28, 2007

I bought some Chai Nog a few years ago at Xmastime and I quite liked it.
posted by Melinika at 8:52 AM on November 29, 2007