Made a batch this evening.
Edit to add: Alton Brown eggnog recipe

I meant to make it earlier this year but will be attempting the egg nog this weekend and my goal is a little less booze and a little thicker!

I too made my first batch of AB Not last Sunday. Filled 3 750ml bottles with a 1/2 cup left over to....sample.

I used turbodnao/raw sugar, it's courser and I wouldn't recommend it as it took forever to dissolve.

Now to wait until Christmas, and several parties. I may actually make a second and different batch.

Made my batch on Saturday. I had some leftover last year (well, quite a bit actually) so i just cut everything in half. I also went with just a little less liquor, a splash more heavy cream and one extra egg yolk trying to get it to a thicker consistency compared to last year. I think I got it right and it looks pretty good (consistency wise) and smells amazing. Starting to wish i made a full batch....may make more next weekend. The hard part is waiting!

I have about a quart of AB's egg nog left from last year. I made it in August/September. It's been in the fridge ever since. Still good?

I think Alton even says in the recipe that there is no reason you couldn't let it age a year so I think over a year would be safe too. I wish I could get myself to do it 4 months before but that planning is pretty hard to remember.

Alton Brown states you want 20% ABV to kill any bacteria, but this recipe doesn't seem anywhere close to that. Consensus seems to be this yields about 3/4 gallon or 96 oz. I calculate around 10-12% depending on what proof booze you use. Anybody else try to calculate an approximate ABV?

I don't think I paid attention to that statement at the start of the recipe. At best I calculate 20% if you compare liquor vs all "liquids" but then you would dilute it more by however many cups/pints the eggs and sugar combine to make. So i would think your math is pretty close on the total ABV. The confusing part is it does seem to taste stronger than 10/12%...

I read an article from Cooks Illustrated that suggested making an eggnog base with no dairy, then adding the dairy at serving. They were trying to make a lesser potent 8% nog. They mentioned a "study" done at Rockefeller University where they intentionally added salmonella to eggnog. They tested over time and after 3 weeks all the bacterial was gone. Their nog was about 14%.

Made a batch last week. Smells amazing, really boozy on the nose. I hope it thickens up, I used all half and half instead of milk and cream. Took a sip to be able to compare, it did not taste boozy to me. Depending on how it ages, next year I might up the booze and use more heavy cream. We'll see at Christmas!

Can you bottle eggnog like you would beer with oxygen caps and such? I suspect because of the high alcohol content there shouldn't be any off gassing or fermentation happening.

Seems like quite the waste of time....

Quote:

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jah003

Make the Alton Brown Nog and thank me later...
[url=https://altonbrown.com/eggnog-recipe/][/url]https://altonbrown.com/eggnog-recipe/
Even better if you age it. Had a year old batch the other day that was phenomenal.

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OK, so... made a batch in November and I'm thanking you now. Cracked some open today at our traditional Christmas gathering and I believe we've started a new tradition! Everybody loved it, I wish I'd made a double batch!

I thought it tasted great when I made it but the flavors today were unbelievable. Smooth and mellow, very rich... just a great blend of tastes. I have one more jar that I'm going to try and give the 4 to 6 month treatment.

Kind of took it as an opportunity to kill some bottles in the cabinet and in the process used:

For 1 cup rum:

1/2 cup El Dorado 15 (killed the bottle)
1/2 cup Myers Dark

For 1 cup bourbon:

1/3 cup 1792 (killed the bottle)
2/3 cup Woodford Reserve (had 1 cup, used 2/3 and drank the rest)

For 1 cup cognac:

1/3 cup Courvoisier VSOP (killed the bottle)
1/3 cup Navan Vanilla Cognac (gift that sounded interesting in this application but didn't want to get carried away)
1/3 cup Presidente Brandy

Anyway, already thinking about the next batch... thanks again!

Mine was great, but too thin for my liking. I'll use more heavy cream next time. I'm going to use more booze next time as well. Might cut back on the nutmeg and add some cinnamon.

aggielax48 said:

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Mine was great, but too thin for my liking. I'll use more heavy cream next time. I'm going to use more booze next time as well. Might cut back on the nutmeg and add some cinnamon.

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Did you age it? It'll thicken up pretty substantially after a month or so.

Its been a month. My theory is I used all half and half rather than milk+cream. I have some I'm continuing to age so I'll see if it keeps changing over time.

Made it over thanksgiving so aged for a month. Everyone loved it, even those who didn't think they liked egg nog. Crazy how much better it was than when we made it. Also hid a small jar to try in a few months to decide when I'll be making it next year.

Liked a previous posters idea to give it away as a holiday treat next year.

Made the nog recipe back in March and polished off everything yesterday with family. Will definetely be made again.

You've aged it since March??

Yah. On 3/10

txag2008 said:

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Made a batch of eggnog yesterday. We'll see what its like for Christmas.

It's missing cognac since I didn't have any on-hand, but it still seemed plenty boozy without it.

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I mixed mine in September and have not tried it yet. I'll see if I can try some this weekend.

Forgot to make any this year until it was too late.

Figure I'll save this thread on my watch list so I actually see when it pops up again for a reminder. Maybe I'll just make a batch in a few weeks so I won't forget.

Is it too late to get started on the AB eggnog recipe? Any modifications people have made? Should I double the recipe?

It's never too early for nog!!! Here's a simple recipe if you're into single servings. I found this when I was looking for something to do with the yolk when I was making cocktails with egg white. What's great about this recipe is you can substitute any spirit you prefer and likewise with the milk... you could use almond, coconut, soy, etc.

1 ounce spirit (brandy, bourbon, rum, etc.)
1 1/4 ounces milk (dairy or non-dairy)
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1 egg yolk
Pour ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice and shake until you reach your preferred dilution.
Pour over rocks or double strain and serve straight up if preferred.
Garnish: grated nutmeg or cinnamon

fwag04 said:

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Is it too late to get started on the AB eggnog recipe? Any modifications people have made? Should I double the recipe?

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Nope. Not at all. 1 month on it is great. Anything past that is gravy. You could double up on Bourbon (I do this because I don't typically have Brandy and Cognac). And yes... double, triple, quadruple. Crap. I need to make Nog.

About to start a batch. I want to sample and get the recipe right before the holidays kick off.

I will use Maker's Mark, but undecided on cognac and rum brands.

High end rum and cognac (probably VSOP) recommendations would be appreciated.

Tumble Weed said:

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About to start a batch. I want to sample and get the recipe right before the holidays kick off.

I will use Maker's Mark, but undecided on cognac and rum brands.

High end rum and cognac (probably VSOP) recommendations would be appreciated.

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Honestly I wouldn't be concerned with the quality of your liquor too much. I know nothing about Cognac or Rum and just grabbed a couple random bottles. I didn't go bottom of the barrel, but they weren't pricey.

One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
One 14-ounce can condensed milk
2 egg yolks
2 cups fresh coconut milk or one 15-ounce can coconut milk
Pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon true Ceylon cinnamon*
1 cup Puerto Rican white rum
Ground cinnamon

Then blend it up for a Coquito

How many servings does the recipe make? 12 or so. I might get some batches percolating.

I just put a batch of ABs down for a long winter's nap. I may make another batch in a month to taste the difference. It made a little over a half gallon. It appears to be separating some in the refrigerator, do I need to beat it longer?

Has anyone gotten sick from this? It makes me really nervous to use eggs in it and then let it sit for months...

If you are worried about it add one more cup of booze or use pasteurized eggs. If you are immunocomprimised I'd avoid it, like anything else less cooked

Electrical_Ag said:

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Has anyone gotten sick from this? It makes me really nervous to use eggs in it and then let it sit for months...

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It's actually better to let it age. They did a study and purposefully infected the Nog with Salmonella. It's took about 3 weeks to kill it all. You drink it fresh and you are increasing your extremely minor chance of getting sick.
#science

I have a bottle from last year, it's probably right at a year old now.

I put it in older ceramic flip top beer bottles from Rogue Brewing. I need to make another batch for this year.