OK - I did post in the Delta forum - not on a new thread I might add, about eggnog as of course it is the season.

I bought some Evan Williams eggnog and it was silky smooth and good. Anyone got any recommendations? Do any of you guys drink the stuff in the Xmas season?

Yes, and Fruitcake. Love that fruit cake, getting hard to find now.

Yes, make your own.

No storebought eggnog will ever replicate what true eggnog tastes like. That's because traditional eggnog recipes call--as a final step--for whipped egg whites to be folded into the drink mixture. The consistency is totally unlike manufactured eggnog, but absolutely delicious!

(My Mom can periodically be persuaded to pull out her father's recipe--written in quantities to serve 100 for fabulous holiday parties that my grandparents would throw--and make a smaller batch for 5 or 10 of us.)

I'm also looking for the perfect eggnog recipe but none of the modern ones seem right. I was also given an old one (also in banquet portions) but haven't actually made it as I'm not sure who would else would drink raw eggs and dairy with me. Also it says to let the mixture "mature" before serving?

It says litres of bourbon, dark rum and a few other liquors as well as dozens of eggs and litres of cream. The cream and yolks are made into a custard and left to age with the liquor for weeks, then the mereingue is folded in prior to serving. I'm more concerned about the "left to age" part than drinking raw anything. Does this recipe sound right to you?

I got unexpectedly schnockered on EggNog early in my drinking career - I think it was probably at least half booze, masked by the egginess. The aftermath was not pretty, and to this day I can't even look at the stuff.

For a lighter variation on egg nog, try the classic Tom and Jerry cocktail.

http://liquor.com/recipes/tom-jerry/

You can use a mix of hot milk and boiling water to make it lighter, or just go with all water.

Hmm...I don't have a copy of my grandfather's recipe, but I know it's made and consumed on the spot. No aging involved. But it does involve making a custardy mixture with the yolks and then folding in the meringue. (As for people who won't drink raw eggs because they're paranoid: Great, more for the rest of us!)

You're spot on! "Storeboughts", either with alky or the supermarket sort are so nasty as to defy description. "Cooking" and preservative additives (required for anything bottled/packaged containing eggs) destroys the appeal.

One of my favorites of winter drinks remains the old "Brandy Milk Punch", brandy, milk and sugar shaken vigorously or blended.

I made Alton Brown's recipe last weekend (was like the 2nd or 3rd result on google). Have only had the store-bought carton stuff before, and home made was much better as others have said. Bulleit Rye mixed in didn't hurt either.

Took my son to an open house last week at the CIA. Chef prepared his own recipe for eggnog...it was freaking fantastic.

My hats off to those of you who can enjoy eggnog. I have tried the non-alcoholic version once and it was just too sweet for me. Now I enjoy my fair share (ok, maybe a little more) of alcohol and even at the young age of 25 the mixture of that sugary drink + alcohol would surely have me doing the technicolor yawn.

Too sweet? Try making your own, less the addition of massive amounts of sugar. "Storebought" versions are always too sweet, catering to current tastes and becoming less sweet from the large amounts of booze added. There are even people who put white rum or vodka in eggnog. Cutting off their ears and slitting their noses form the appropriate punishment, so thatb you can recognize and avoid them in later encounters. Boubon, dark rum (Not "Navy") or brandy are the only appropriate additions. Most rye, Canadian blends, and Erse Poteen lack the sort of pervasive flavor needed, and most Scotch adds peaky smokiness which doesn't work. Personally, I like a couple of the Spanish brandies, darker and "richer" than Cognacs or Armagnacs.

...although I must admit that for me, eggnog is either a "dessert", almost free standing, but potentially better when supported by some of the fancy Christmas cookies (dreams of little gingerbread men topped with candied pecans or walnuts come to mind) or a piece of "real" fruitcake (dark, moist, aged with an infusion of spirits) or possibly a late evening snowy weather party drink, apres' ski or other outdoor event.

I definitely prefer about 50:50 bourbon:eggnog - much less sweet and sickly.

Just tried making a version of the family recipe tonight. I didn't have rock sugar so used a mixture of raw sugar and granulated. And just in case it would be yucky, used Jim Beam. Called a few cabs tonight so I think the guests thought it was ok

Storebought eggnog is just as unattractive as omelette powder