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My Homemade Eggnog is truly dessert in a glass.

It’s a recipe also comes with bittersweet memories.

I used to make it for our annual Christmas party way back in the day.

It’s rich and delish, and was always a hit.

I have not made it in years.

I accidentally ran across my recipe stashed in a notebook while I was looking or something else.

The last time I whipped up a batch was for our 1998 Christmas party.

We lived in Rayville, Louisiana.

It’s weird that I can remember the year.

That party sticks out in my mind because Daddy had been diagnosed with terminal cancer in March of that same year.

It was a Christmas miracle that he even made it to the party.

He had spent most of his diagnosis either in a hospital bed sitting in our living room or at MD Anderson.

But, somehow, he rallied himself to make an appearance.

He was so thin and frail, and spent most of the night sitting on the sofa.

Being at the party wore him out, but he had a great time seeing friends he had not seen since his diagnosis.

He made several trips to the dining room to refill his eggnog.

And, then he would ask me to “just get him a little more.”

I can still remember the smile on his face when he told me how much he loved it.

I had never known him to be an eggnog fan.

He made me laugh, and I was thrilled to see him getting in some much needed calories.

It also made me nervous.

I spiked the eggnog with bourbon – which is part of what he loved.

Before he got sick, he had always loved a good bourbon.

Old Charter – 10 year old was his drink of choice.

But, I did not want to see him overdo it – especially when he lived with constant nausea and vomiting.

Thankfully, he did not get sick – another Christmas miracle.

Apparently, he was craving the richness of my eggnog, and it very much hit the spot.

So, I guess it’s better late than never.

It’s time this recipe that I have not made in 24 years gets a well deserved place on the blog.

I hope you love it as much as Daddy did.

Homemade Eggnog

★★★★★

5 from 1 review

Author: Jennifer Williams
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 32 ounces 1x

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Description

My homemade eggnog is the perfect holiday drink to serve by the glass or for a crowd.

Ingredients

Scale

6 large egg yolks
1/3 cup (66 grams) sugar
3 cups (681 grams) whole milk
1 cup (227 grams) heavy cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean pod, split open and scraped
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup of your favorite bourbon (1 ounce per 8 ounces of eggnog)
1/2 gallon Blue Bell homemade vanilla bean ice cream

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Instructions

Using a stand mixer, beat eggs until frothy.
Gradually add in sugar with mixer running.
Set aside.
Add milk and nutmeg to a large saucepan.
Heat over medium high heat just until milk starts to bubble on the sides of pan. Do NOT bring to a rolling boil. Make sure to stir constantly so that you do not burn the milk.
Remove from heat.
Temper the egg mixture by adding a small amount (about 1/2 cup) of the hot milk to the eggs.
Stir vigorously so that you do not scramble eggs.
After tempering the eggs, slowly add the tempered egg and milk mixture into the saucepan with remaining milk.
Turn heat on low and stir until mixture thickens. You want to heat the mixture to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can use a candy thermometer to check the temperature.
Once the mixture reaches this temperature, turn off the heat.
Remove from heat, add in cinnamon stick, vanilla and vanilla pod, and then allow to cool.
Once cooled, add in heavy cream.
Refrigerate until chilled up to 5 days.
When ready to serve, add in bourbon. I add 4 ounces of bourbon to 32 ounces of eggnog. Or 1/2 ounce of bourbon to a small glass (4 ounces) of eggnog.
You can either serve this by the glass or add the bourbon to the entire mix and serve in a punch bowl.
Just make sure to remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla pod.
See notes below for serving at a party.

Notes

I quadruple this recipe for the party.
For a party, pour the mixture into a large punch bowl.
Then, to keep the eggnog chilled, dump a half gallon of Blue Bell Vanilla Bean ice cream into the eggnog.
My eggnog is also great served over ice.
You can substitute rum for bourbon.
Omit the bourbon for non-alcoholic eggnog.
Use within 5 days and keep stored in refrigerator.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Category: Drinks
Cuisine: American

Keywords: eggnog, Christmas recipes

Enjoy!

Drop me a comment below and let me know what you think of my homemade eggnog.

Pin For Later!

Homemade eggnog served with a cinnamon sugar rim and topped with a cinnamon stick - J Dub By Design™ — **The Best Homemade Eggnog!**

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The Best Homemade Eggnog