For Day Five of the cocktail advent calendar, I came up with an eggnog recipe. Some elements come from America's Test Kitchen's recipe, but I made several modifications. This creamy holiday classic packs plenty of flavor. The creaminess of the eggs and lightly whipped cream gives it a silky texture without being too syrupy.
SERVES 8 PEOPLE
For the drink:
-24 oz whole milk
-Pinch of salt
-14 oz heavy cream (6 oz will be at the outset and 8 oz reserved for the last steps)
-6 egg yolks
-7 tablespoons sugar
-4 oz dark rum (Myers)
-1 1/2 oz calvados (Boulard VSOP)
-1/8 teaspoon allspice
-1/8 teaspoon cloves
-1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
-1/4 teaspoon ginger
-3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
*Note if you don't have calvados you can just use rum. Also, you can tweak the spices to your preferred specifications.
Garnish:
Fresh grated cinnamon or nutmeg
Glassware:
Fizz glass
-In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk and salt to a simmer or about 130 degrees if you have a kitchen thermometer.
-While the milk and salt are heating up, whisk 6 ounces of cream, all the egg yolks, and sugar together until combined in a medium bowl.
-Once simmering or at 130 degrees, scoop a cup of liquid out of the saucepan and slowly whisk it into the cream, egg yolk, and sugar mixture. Then slowly pour everything back into the saucepan while whisking.
-Stir the mixture occasionally and heat until it reaches 160 degrees. About another 2-4 minutes if you don't have a thermometer. Don't let it boil.
-Pour the liquid into a medium bowl and mix in the rum, calvados, and spices.
-Place the bowl in an ice bath to lower the temperature.
-After 20 minutes, either pour it into a mason jar or cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
-When ready to drink, whisk the remaining 8 oz of cream to soft-peaks. Stir the mixture from the fridge to reincorporate the spices that likely settled at the bottom.
-Add the whipped cream to a bowl with the drink mixture and gently fold the ingredients together.
-Serve into cups and add fresh ground nutmeg, cinnamon, or both.