I’ve been asked by many people over the years for my homemade eggnog recipe. This year, when I am celebrating a wonderful new community and a flourishing new business, seems a good time to say thanks by sharing it with anybody who cares to read. But first, a quick diversion into where it comes from and why it’s so special to me.
I come from a long line of strong women. (For those of you wondering where I got that certain, irritating “je ne sais quoi”, this is it.) The photo on the left shows me at 1 1/2, sitting on my mom’s lap. My dad’s mom, Evelyn, is on the right and my great-grandmother Sarah Allie Boyd is in the center, looking at me. My great-grandmother and my grandma are gone now, and my dear mom passed away in 2012, but they are all in my thoughts as I make it every year, just like Mom always did.
My great-grandma Allie was a remarkable woman, and obviously made a hell of an impression on the family as my grandfather Boyd, my dad Boyd, my Uncle Robert Boyd, my brother Boyd, my sister Sarah, my son Andrew Boyd, my niece Sarah Allie and I (Susan Allie) all carry her name.
She lived in a small Indiana town and rode her bike to give piano lessons. Her husband was firmly against drinking alcohol of any kind, so she made beer in the kitchen cabinets without his knowledge. (Even, as my father remembers, managing to keep the secret after a particularly warm night when the corks all blew, and she and my dad had to mop up 2 inches of beer before Grandpa woke up.)
Grandma Allie died when I was very young, but I’ve heard stories of her all my life. To my father, she was the surrogate mom when his own mother was preoccupied with anger over my grandfather’s philandering in France during the war. She touched him with so many small kindnesses that he still teared up years later thinking about her. To me, she has always represented strength, intelligence, creativity, compassion, and irreverence — a combination of qualities I hope every day to carry in myself.
So now to the recipe — but first, a quick warning. THIS EGGNOG IS IN NO WAY GOOD FOR YOU, NO MATTER HOW YOU TRY TO JUSTIFY IT. It’s full of fat, sugar, liquor and — arrestingly — UNPASTEURIZED RAW EGGS. While no one in my family has every gotten ill despite over 100 years of drinking this stuff (maybe it’s because of all the liquor in it), you drink at your own risk. Make sure your hands and all utensils and storage jugs are nice and clean before you start.
So here we go! You will need:
12 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
1/4 teaspoons of salt
1 quart of half & half (you can use heavy cream if you really don’t care about your arteries)
1 quart of milk
4 cups of bourbon (I use 2 cups of Canadian Club and 2 cups of Jim Beam, myself)
1 cup of rum
Beat the egg whites until stiff, then beat in 1/2 cup of sugar. Empty into a large pot. Beat the egg yolks, 1 cup of sugar and salt until very light in color. Combine with the egg whites and stir until blended. Add half & half (or cream), milk, and liquor. Stir well. Pour into gallon jug and quart jar (I use clean milk jugs).
HERE’S THE NEXT STEP, AND IT’S IMPORTANT! Store the eggnog in a cool cellar or garage for 1 week to 10 days. DO NOT REFRIGERATE!
So this is the part that freaks people out. Yes, I know — raw eggs, milk, etc., all stewing on the floor of your garage for a week without refrigeration. I’ve tried to make this and refrigerate it, and it just doesn’t turn out as well — the liquor just doesn’t blend in and become as smooth and luscious when you refrigerate it. Of course, you can try that if it makes you more comfortable, but I’ve found leaving it on the concrete floor in the garage, where it stays cool but not cold, works great. (I live in Arizona, so if you live in a very cold climate keep it inside where it can be cool but not refrigerator temperature.) Shake it every once in a while as all the air in the eggs will condense and you can consolidate it into fewer jugs if you want.
After a week or so, stick it in the fridge, and it will last for more than a year. Serve it with nutmeg on top and make sure you confiscate everybody’s keys before you get going — it’s deceptively potent.
Oh, and my husband has a milk intolerance so he can’t handle much of it full-bore, but likes to mix it with 7-up for an eggnog spritzer (yuck).
There you go. Make it, drink it and enjoy. I know Grandma Allie and Mom would want you to.
Like so much of life, your recipe is better with the story. Thanks for sharing this slice of your life and your recipe. I’m going to make it in Ohio, and given their temperatures, the floor of the garage might be about the same as the refrigerator. I’ll let you know how the family rates it. (They are easy, I’m sure they will all be on the floor with their love of it.)
Thanks for the backstory and for sharing the recipe. Yes, I’ll admit I’m also freaked out about the ingredients and the process, so I may do a little research before I try it out. But I fervently hope I can find some scientific support for risking my life for this eggnog. It sounds amazing.
BTW, I come from a line of Colorado Boyds on my mother’s side: My maternal grandmother is Ethel Boyd (Bovee). I have some info going farther back, but not at my fingertips. I wonder where we intersect?
You can also try to find pasteurized eggs. My grocery store doesn’t carry them but I know they’re available.
this stuff is so, so so good. thanks again for the special delivery today!!!
<3
and p.s. – this was a lovely backstory to the recipe, and your great grandma allie sounds like an amazing woman.
I found your recipe about 4 years ago and have been making it each holiday since then. It is delicious and has been enjoyed by many. It is starting to become a family tradition around our house – something our friends and family have come to enjoy and expect each Christmas. Thank you so much for sharing!!!