Everyone has their own culture and traditions that shapes the events of their holiday season. However, there are a few things that are often universal: family gathering, great food, and eggnog. At least, that’s how I see it! If you normally make your own eggnog, you’ll enjoy this journey of ingredients and descriptions on how to create this Christmas drink, and if you’ve never made this before, this is a sign for you to start.

It’s often seen that people will put their own spin on recipes, or really make it their own. If you want my take on the key ingredient to a good eggnog, it’s rum. And it’s not just any rum, it must be either the Old Brigand brown rum or Mount Gay Eclipse. Yes, I am from Barbados, and yes, this is the rum that I must use. However, there are some who make eggnog with whiskey, brandy, bourbon, or no alcohol at all.

Below is a recipe to a classic eggnog that you can make this Christmas.

Servings: 10-12 servings

Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups milk
• 5 whole cloves
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 12 egg yolks
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• Optional: 2 cups of liquor choice (rum, bourbon, whiskey, brandy)
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions:

1. First, start by combining the milk, heavy cream, and spices (cinnamon and nutmeg). Once well mixed together either by hand or in an electric mixer, pour the mixture into a pot and allow it to simmer. Once you notice the mixture simmering, take the pot off the heat for 15-20 minutes and allow it to bring all the flavours to life.
2. In the same large bowl, whisk the egg yolks together as well as the sugar to create a creamy consistency.
3. Pour the mixture in the pot into the large bowl that contains the egg yolk and sugar mixture and combine these two together. Once well mixed, pour everything back into the pot.
4. On a medium to low heat, gently stir the mixture together constantly for roughly five minutes. *Note: Be careful not to let this mixture boil as it can curdle the eggs which is most definitely not the vibe this Christmas.
5. Once the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of your spoon, you know you’re good to remove the pot from the stovetop.
6. Now for the fun part! If you’re adding alcohol into your drink, now is the time to do so. If you’re not adding alcohol in, don’t worry, this will still be super delicious and something that you should have in your kitchen this year. Now will also be the time to add your vanilla extract in.
7. Once the above step has been completed, use a sieve to strain the mixture, and once completely strained, move the mixture into a bottle or whatever you are choosing to keep this drink in.
8. Allow this to sit in the fridge for a few hours, anywhere between 3-6 hours is good.
9. Lastly, time to serve! When preparing this drink for serving, I love to use fun shaped ice. You can get some unique ice trays from Dollarama or Amazon to add an extra layer of extra to your drink. Don’t forget to garnish the top of your drink with grated nutmeg and for those who have a major sweet tooth, make sure to add whip cream to the top as well.

This is a great holiday drink that is so easily made. Making this drink will certainly put me in the Christmas spirit and I know my friends and family can feel it by simply drinking it.