Come Christmas, there are a plethora of sweetmeats that slide on to our kitchen counter tops. Every now and then, we make trips to the kitchen to take a bite of that leftover pie or a slice of the plum cake. Festivities are synonymous with desserts, it seems. Be it India and other Asian countries or the West, whenever there is a festival, the sugary treats are an indispensable part of the celebrations. The winter chills call for fiery meaty bites or warm cups of coffee and hot chocolate. Amidst all things warm and fuzzy, how about we give you a boozy cocktail to drink?
Don’t look that surprised. Haven’t you heard of eggnog before? Yes, that quintessential Christmas drink is actually a cocktail. At first, even I was a little taken aback when I heard of this alcohol and eggs combination. Though it doesn’t sound very appetizing at first, once you take a sip of this classic festive beverage, there would be no looking back. Relished by people across England and US during the holiday season, the origins of eggnog are not very clear.
Breaking Down The Egg From The Nog
Wondering how the drink arrived at its name eggnog? We’ll tell you how. There are a few assumptions made in this regard one of which states that the small wooden cup used for drinking was called noggin in the 16th century. Another one calls for the Americans’ use of the word grog to describe any egg-based thick drinks. Ultimately, it seems plausible to think that noggin and grog along with egg were meshed together to form what we know as eggnog today.
From Posset To Sherry To Rum
The trajectory of reaching the eggnog of today can be easily summarized by this word chart. The British monks in the medieval period drank a warm ale punch called posset which was made of eggs and figs. This continued for the longest time until sherry emerged in the 17th century when these egg and milk based punches were coupled with wines and alcohols like sherry. The significance of the drink lied in the scarcity of these ingredients and therefore, it remained an elite drink.
It was only when rum was added to this eggy beverage by the Americans did it acquire the status of an affordable drink for all sections of society. Since rum was reasonable as compared to brandy and other alcoholic items, this rum-based eggnog became a hit among the people.
Gradually, this rich alcoholic egg-based drink became a holiday favourite in the United States and came to be associated with Christmas feasts.
Over time, there have been several adaptations of this Christmas special drink. Take Puerto Rico’s coquito for instance. This eggnog version is made with coconut milk and sans eggs. Hard to imagine an eggnog without egg, right? The Peruvians make use of their special brandy instead of rum to add a boozy touch to the drink.
These interesting takes on the eggnog make it a worldwide popular drink that is savoured during the holiday season.