Tom & Jerry

Continuing the hunt for interesting hot holiday drinks, I suggested trying this elaborate, eggnog-like drink for a recent gathering we had. While the raw egg can be off-putting to some, our local chemistry professor cheekily assured us that it would be highly unlikely there be any problem.

Recipe

from Some Like It HotServes 68 oz brandy6 oz spiced or dark rum3 eggs, separated1/3 cup plus 2 tsp superfine sugar1/8 tsp ground cinnamon1/8 tsp ground allspice1/8 tsp ground cloves6 cups whole milkFreshly grated nutmeg for garnishInto each of the 6 mugs, pour 1 oz of brandy and 1 oz of rum. Set aside. In a mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until lemon coloured and runny. Do not overbeat (if fluffy, they're overbeaten). Slowly stir in cinnamon, allspice, cloves and remaining brandy. Mix well and set aside.Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until warm but not simmering. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites in a mixer until they form a stiff froth. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture. Add 2 tbsp of the egg mixture into each mug and stir. Pour 1 cup of warm milk into each mug and stir until frothy. Sprinkle each mug with nutmeg and serve.

Musings

A few notes on preparation: We didn't have whole milk, so we ended up using our fat free milk that we had on hand. The recipe originally called for spiced rum, but we just used dark rum instead.There is definitely a degree of labour involved with this drink. It is certainly more work than cracking a can of Pabst Beer. That being said, it is well worth the effort. It was rich but not overbearing...strong, in the most charming sort of way. David said that it was definitely a drink to warm you up on a cold winter's day, making him want the winter to come for an excuse to keep drinking it. We served this at a holiday dessert gathering, and it seemed to be a hit. With several requests for refills. It does taste better when it's fresh, when the eggs a freshly beaten, but it does take awhile to prepare. This makes an impressive holiday party drink, and well worth having again.