Eggnog is such a love/hate Christmas drink.  Some people can’t stand it, others can’t do Christmas without it!

In our family, eggnog has it’s place.  We have a tradition of decorating the tree together, with carols playing in the background and eggnog on the stove.  We honestly don’t believe Christmas is really HERE until we’ve made our first pot of eggnog.

We’ve dabbled in the past with different booze in our eggnog too – last year was all about the amaretto.  This year, however, we went with bourbon!  Different to your run of the mill Brandy Eggnog, yet not too sweet.  We used this delicious Jim Beam Devil’s Cut bourbon, but you can go with any bourbon (or any booze really) that you have on hand.

Here’s my recipe for the eggnog we make every year.  I’m still toying with the idea of an iced version – Durban summers are no joke, even though our weather is rainy and chilly at the moment!

BOURBON EGGNOG

Ingredients

4 cups of milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 cinnamon sticks

4 egg yolks

Half a cup of sugar

Half a tsp nutmeg

1 cup of cream

Half a cup of Bourbon

Method

Place milk, in a pot and add cinnamon sticks and vanilla essence.

Heat until just boiling and then turn off the heat.  Allow to sit with cinnamon sticks in for 2 minutes, before removing them.  Then allow to cool slightly.

Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and frothy.

SLOWLY whisk egg mixture into milk mixture and return to low heat until it thickens slightly.

Add cream, nutmeg and bourbon.

Serve and ENJOY!  You can serve this warm, or allow to cool.  We like it warm!

P.S. I added whipped cream and sprinkles to add an extra festive touch 😉 

Do you and your family have an Christmas traditions?   And are you an eggnog lover or hater?

Let me know!