Fireplace Eggnog

Eggnog has come a long way in the last 150 years. From its earliest and rather austere recipes to the spiced dessert that became popular in the latter half of the twentieth century, the nog has become a wide umbrella covering all manner of eggy winter drinks. Still, bartenders like me tend to land somewhere not too far from the classic version, even while experimenting with interesting flavors and new twists. 

This Fireplace Eggnog certainly takes its inspiration from the old school. Sticking more or less to the classic formula, it makes the common twentieth-century substitution of bourbon for the traditional brandy as well as the more left-field replacement of Madeira with port. What makes this recipe particularly unique is an addition of vanilla bean and a smoky tea, to evoke that yuletide feeling without drifting into the cliche of Christmas spice.

When I serve this at my bar, Jupiter Disco, I use Bohea, a product inspired by colonial American tea blends that have mostly drifted into obscurity. While which exact types of black tea were dropped into the Boston Harbor is debated, for the sake of this eggnog you can mix together lapsang souchong and orange pekoe if you don’t have this rather specific brand available near you. Or just go with lapsang in a pinch. 

This twist on the classic eggnog was written with a standard kitchen blender in mind, but people’s gear can vary wildly from household to household. Classicists can always stick to a whisk and a big bowl. If you’re using modern technology, you’ll want to make sure your blender doesn’t cook the eggs—don’t turn it up higher than called for. Do give your blends enough time to aerate the eggs and make sure the sugar reaches solution (otherwise you’ll end up with an unpleasant separation). A lot of people swear by eggnog aged at least a week or two, but one thing is for sure, you’ll definitely want yours cold, so get started at least 4½ hours before you want to serve it.