20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (2024)

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There's a creamy eggnog co*cktail for everyone this festive season

By

Colleen Graham

20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (1)

Colleen Graham

Freelance writer and co*cktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.

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Updated on 02/8/24

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20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (2)

Few drinks fit the holiday season like a glass of eggnog, and there are several ways to enjoy this traditional drink. From classic recipes for parties to modern eggnog co*cktails made by the glass and many with international flair, you have a variety of tasty eggnog recipes to explore.

The Origins of Eggnog: A Favorite Christmas co*cktail

Most homemade eggnog recipes follow a basic formula: eggs are mixed with sugar, milk and/or cream, andliquor. You also have the choice of brandy, whiskey, or rum for your eggnog, noliquor at all, and even egg-free and vegan options. Seasonal flavors are often added, and a few co*cktail recipes rely on store-bought eggnog, so they're even easier. There really is a recipe for everyone, so let's get noggin'!

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Watch Now: Creamy Eggnog Recipe with Brandy, Bourbon, or Rum

  • 01 of 20

    Classic Homemade Eggnog with Bourbon

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (4)

    Keep holiday traditions alive (or start new ones) with this classic old-fashioned eggnog recipe made with eggs, milk, cream, and bourbon. Perfect for a small party, it includes all the basics, and there's an option for cooked eggnog if you're wary of consuming raw eggs.

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    Raw Egg Warning

    Consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs poses a risk for foodborneillness. If you do choose to make your eggnog with raw eggs, use only the freshest eggs or choose pasteurized eggs, and be diligent about cleanliness. Cooking the eggs is another option. This is done by tempering eggs with warm dairy to slowly heat them to a safe temperature.

  • 02 of 20

    Traditional Rum Eggnog

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (5)

    On a smaller scale, pull out your co*cktail shaker to quickly make eggnog for just one or two people. Due to the base liquor—aged rum—this eggnog recipe creates a slightly sweeter co*cktail than some of the others on our list. You'll also appreciate the extra flavor provided by almond and vanilla extracts.

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  • 03 of 20

    Quick Brandy Eggnog

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (6)

    When you don't want to waste any time, this shaken brandy eggnog co*cktail is a great option. It's a favorite recipe among bartenders, has a classic brandy base, and requires just three other ingredients. If you thought eggnog was too difficult to make at home, this recipe will change your mind.

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  • 04 of 20

    Bourbon Eggnog

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (7)

    A variation on the traditional recipe, this spiced bourbon eggnog is filled with layers of flavor. It uses three liquors, and the combination of whiskey, cognac, and orange liqueur is a brilliant foundation for seasonal spices, including nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. The recipe serves eight, so it's perfect for an intimate party, and can be prepared the night before.

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    Continue to 5 of 20 below.

  • 05 of 20

    Nonalcoholic Eggnog

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (8)

    While you can simply skip the liquor in any recipe, this eggnog is designed to be nonalcoholic from the very start. Not only does this family-friendly eggnog skip the alcohol, but it also passes on the raw eggs. The added bonus of making 'nog with cooked eggs is that you can make the base ahead and store it for up to three days before whipping in the cream. And, of course, if anyone wants to add a little bourbon or other liquor, this eggnog tastes great when spiked too.

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  • 06 of 20

    Keto Eggnog

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (9)

    For anyone who wants to avoid sugar, this tasty keto eggnog is ideal. The recipe uses two sugar-free sweeteners (confectioners' Swerve and liquid stevia), egg yolks, and unsweetened almond milk. Since heavy cream is keto, it's also included to ensure a luscious beverage, though coconut milk is an option too.

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  • 07 of 20

    Vegan Eggnog

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (10)

    That's right, eggnog without eggs! The key to this recipe is a combinationof silken tofu and soy milk blended with vanilla extract and rum or brandy. The blend is luscious and tasty, and people might not even notice the difference between it and a classic eggnog made with eggs and dairy.

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  • 08 of 20

    Coquito

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (11)

    Another eggless option, coquito is Puerto Rico's version of eggnog and it's a must for the holiday season in Puerto Rican households. Rather than eggs and heavy cream, this punch relies on cream of coconut, condensed milk, and evaporated milk for creaminess and sweetness. Rum and warm spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, complete this delicious drink. Coquito is best served very cold and shared with friends.

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    Continue to 9 of 20 below.

  • 09 of 20

    Easy Rum Eggnog

    Aged rum and ruby port add a dark, complex background flavor to this easy eggnog co*cktail recipe. It's one of the quick versions that is shaken up by the glass, and in just a few minutes, you'll have luscious eggnog to enjoy without any fuss.

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    Shaking Raw Egg co*cktails

    Dry shaking is one secret to producing the best-tasting egg co*cktails. This simply means holding the ice while you shake all the other ingredients, then adding ice for a second round of vigorous shaking. The technique ensures everything is thoroughly mixed and creates a frothier drink.

  • 10 of 20

    Gingerbread Eggnog

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (13)

    A twist on traditional eggnog, this gingerbread-inspired eggnog is filled with delicious flavors and can quickly get any nog-hater to flip to the other side. Molasses, ground ginger, cloves, and other seasonal spices give it that classic gingerbread taste. The rum is optional, so it can be nonalcoholic.

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  • 11 of 20

    Eggnog Martini

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (14)

    Make good use of store-bought eggnog with this easy, three-ingredient eggnog martini recipe. Vanilla vodka and amaretto are shaken with pre-made eggnog in this simple co*cktail. To complete the festive martini, add a little nutmeg and cinnamon on top. We can't think of a more perfectly delicious way to use up a carton of eggnog.

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  • 12 of 20

    White Christmas

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (15)

    If you have a favorite store-bought eggnog and are looking for a new way to enjoy it, try stirring up a White Christmas co*cktail. The co*cktail pairs Southern Comfort and white chocolate liqueurwith a healthy dose of pre-made eggnog, and it's rather delicious.

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    Continue to 13 of 20 below.

  • 13 of 20

    Fireball Eggnog

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (16)

    Cinnamon lovers will thoroughly enjoy this tasty fireball eggnog. Made with the popular cinnamon-flavored whiskey and amaretto, it dresses up prepared eggnog and includes an optional cinnamon-sugar rim for an extra sweet touch.

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  • 14 of 20

    Rompope

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (17)

    The Mexican take on eggnog, rompope is an old-fashioned egg punch that's a holiday classic. You'll mix sweetened and spiced warm milk with blanched almonds and egg yolks. Let it cool, then stir in rum for a party-worthy drink.

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  • 15 of 20

    Caribbean Punch de Creme Eggnog

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (18)

    Many people enjoy drinking punch de creme on Christmas morning in Trinidad and Tobago, and there are versions of this take on eggnog throughout the Caribbean. Punch de creme typically calls for dark rum and gets an intriguing hint of citrus from lime zest, as well as a zippy flavor from angostura bitters. To let the flavor develop properly, plan on mixing it up a day in advance.

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  • 16 of 20

    Tom and Jerry

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (19)

    Turn to the classic Tom and Jerry recipe when you want to serve your eggnog on the warm side. This sweet, frothy, warm co*cktail with dark rum and cognac is a popular option at American bars around the holidays. You can make the batter anytime you like and, when it's time to serve, simply add rum, brandy, and warm milk or water.

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    Continue to 17 of 20 below.

  • 17 of 20

    Holiday Spice co*cktail

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (20)

    The holiday spice co*cktail—with warming cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice—is a fabulous way to lift spirits in the middle of winter and takes just minutes to shake up. Coconut and pineapple give this eggnog-like co*cktail a tropical twist. Choose your favorite coconut vodka, pick up some cream of coconut and pineapple juice, and don't forget the spices.

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  • 18 of 20

    Polish Kogel Mogel

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (21)

    Kogel mogel is a centuries-old dessert from Poland's Jewish communities. Essentially very thick eggnog, the base is nothing more than egg yolks and honey, though you can add other ingredients—try it with cocoa powder, raisins, or nuts, and spike it with rum or vodka if you like.

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  • 19 of 20

    Traditional Dutch Advocaat

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (22)

    Advocaat is a Dutch eggnog-like custard that's so thick you have to eat it with a spoon rather than drinking it. Made with egg yolks, sugar, brandy or cognac, and vanilla, it's a wonderfully rich choice for the holidays—especially if you add a bit of whipped cream on top. Serve it alongside small bites of fudge or salted caramels and everyone will be thrilled.

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  • 20 of 20

    Eierlikör Egg Liqueur Eierlikoer

    20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (23)

    Eierlikör (or eierlikoer) is a popular homemade liquor from Germany that makes a fun gift. It's a heated and then chilled blend of egg yolks, milk, cream, and vanilla spiked with both vodka and brandy. The longer you let its flavors develop before drinking it, the better it tastes.

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11 Traditional Christmas co*cktails

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20 Delicious Eggnog Recipes Anyone Can Enjoy This Holiday Season (2024)

FAQs

What is the best alcohol to mix with eggnog? ›

While brandy is the most traditional alcohol to pair with eggnog, according to traditional recipes, you can also use a mixture of dark rum and Cognac. If you like your eggnog with more of a kick you can also add bourbon, but we recommend sticking to rum and Cognac to preserve the 'nog's flavors.

What can you mix with eggnog to make it taste better? ›

Ingredients
  1. Eggnog.
  2. Spirits: rum, bourbon, whiskey, and/or brandy.
  3. Whipped cream.
  4. Syrup: caramel and/or chocolate.
  5. Spices: nutmeg, cinnamon (sticks and ground), and/or pumpkin spice.
  6. Crushed gingersnap cookies or red-hot candies, or cinnamon sugar for rimming glasses (optional)
Dec 6, 2023

What changed to make eggnog a popular holiday drink by the 1700s? ›

Milk, eggs, and sherry were foods of the wealthy, so eggnog was often used in toasts to prosperity and good health. Eggnog became tied to the holidays when the drink hopped the pond in the 1700s. American colonies were full of farms—and chickens and cows—and cheaper rum, a soon-signature ingredient.

What is in Christmas eggnog? ›

eggnog, a drink thought to have originated in the British Isles, composed of beaten eggs, sugar, and cream or milk and typically served during the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

What's the best rum to put in eggnog? ›

Chairman's Reserve Spiced Rum

"When choosing a rum, I personally find a spiced rum to be the best for the flavors incorporated in eggnogs," he said. "Chairman's Reserve Spiced Rum is best for its quality and flavor profile.”

Is Crown Royal good in eggnog? ›

Whiskey – I typically use Crown Royal, but use what you like or keep on hand. Other Alcohol – You can switch up the ratios based on your personal preferences; feel free to swap in others like bourbon, Cognac, scotch, or brandy, as well. And how about a little peppermint schnapps for a festive flavor?!

How to jazz up egg nog? ›

Swap an ounce of your chosen liquor for an ounce of Port (this works especially well with rum or brandy) or Madeira (mixed with rum, this variation makes the historic Baltimore Eggnog). Add chilled coffee or cold-brew coffee for a creamy nog that channels a mocha latte vibe.

How do you upgrade store bought eggnog? ›

How to Spike Store-Bought Eggnog. Aim for a ratio of about five-to-one of eggnog to your selected spirit for the best flavor. For each 8-ounce glass, add one shot (1.5 ounces) of alcohol.

How do you enhance eggnog? ›

Drizzle a little chocolate sauce into the shaker with the eggnog for a chocolate eggnog. Add a splash of vanilla or almond extract, or turn your eggnog into an iced eggnog latte by pouring a shot of espresso into the shaker. Either way, you'll feel the spirit of the holidays!

Why can't you drink a lot of eggnog? ›

Traditionally made with eggs, cream, milk, and sugar, no one would say that eggnog is a healthy drink. Even a small serving can pack significant amounts of calories, fat, saturated fat, and added sugars. And then there's the fact that homemade eggnog made with raw eggs can be a food-poisoning risk.

What did eggnog used to be called? ›

"While culinary historians debate its exact lineage, most agree eggnog originated from the early medieval" British drink called posset, which was made with hot milk that was curdled with wine or ale and flavored with spices. In the Middle Ages, posset was used as a cold and flu remedy.

Why is eggnog only sold once a year? ›

Most plants keep producing eggnog through New Year's, and start dumping their unsold product in January. Although associated with the holidays, eggnog doesn't need to be seasonal. Dairy plants could produce small batches of eggnog off-season for hard-core nogheads, but they don't because it's not cost-effective.

What alcohol goes with eggnog? ›

Rum is the classic alcohol to splash in a glass of eggnog. This pairing is so iconic that rum is often listed in many traditional eggnog recipes. If you'd like to add rum to your mugful, opt for a golden or dark rum. These kinds of rum have more depth of flavor than white rum.

What is the eggnog at German Christmas market? ›

Eierpunsch ( lit. 'egg punch') is the German name given to a warm, sweetened alcoholic, egg-based drink similar to eggnog. It is commonly a winter drink and can be found served in the popular Christmas markets of Germany and Austria. Eierpunsch is made with egg yolks, sugar, white wine and vanilla.

What's the difference between eggnog and holiday nog? ›

(What's the difference between eggnog and Holiday Nog? Eggnog must have a minimum 6 percent butterfat and a minimum 1 percent egg yolk by weight; Holiday Nog, which Spangler called a flavored milk product, has 2 percent butterfat and less than 1 percent egg yolk by weight.)

Does vodka taste good in eggnog? ›

The eggnog white russian co*cktail is perfect for the holiday season! Coffee liqueur mixed with vanilla vodka and eggnog and topped with freshly grated nutmeg is the perfect treat and oh-so festive!

Are Fireball and eggnog good? ›

Fireball eggnog may become one of your new favorite Christmas drinks. The popular cinnamon whiskey is a fantastic base for this classic holiday co*cktail. It gives eggnog a touch of warm spice, subtle sweetness, and an inviting aroma that's sure to put everyone in a festive mood.

What kind of alcohol is Southern Comfort? ›

Southern Comfort (often abbreviated SoCo) is an American, naturally fruit-flavored, whiskey liqueur with fruit and spice accents. The brand was created by bartender Martin Wilkes Heron in New Orleans in 1874, using whiskey as the base spirit. Whiskey was replaced by a neutral spirit under the ownership of Brown–Forman.

Which whiskey is best with eggnog? ›

Made with eggs, sugar, spices, and of course, whiskey, this rich and creamy beverage is sure to get you in the holiday spirit. To make Wigle's spiked eggnog, we recommend using a good quality whiskey like Yule Tidings but other whiskeys will be equally delicious. Wigle PA Bourbon eggnog is also highly recommended!

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