Morganthaler's Egg Nog

One recipe that I find that I like to use over any other for Egg Nog is the one created by bartender and bar manager of bar manager at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon Jeffrey Morganthaler. He describes the process to reaching what he believes to be the perfect Egg Nog:

So I did a lot of research, in cookbooks and on the web, and tried a bunch of different recipes and methods. Some called for cooking the eggs into sort of a custard, but that’s a heck of a lot of work and results in something that can only be described as thick glop. Others required separating the eggs, beating them independently, and folding them together. But again, it’s too thick and I’m too lazy.

This is the recipe I devised. It can be made in just about any home or bar, since the ingredients are fairly simple. It can be done entirely in a blender, so there are no whisks or beaters or rubber spatulas or stovetops needed. It yields two healthy servings, so you can easily multiply it to serve more. It doesn’t use a ton of heavy cream, so it’s fairly light. In other words, it’s practically perfect.

2 large eggs
3 oz (by volume) granulated sugar
½ tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
2 oz brandy
2 oz spiced rum (I use Sailor Jerry’s)
6 oz whole milk
4 oz heavy cream

Beat eggs in blender for one minute on medium speed. Slowly add sugar and blend for one additional minute. With blender still running, add nutmeg, brandy, rum, milk and cream until combined. Chill thoroughly to allow flavors to combine and serve in chilled wine glasses or champagne coupes, grating additional nutmeg on top immediately before serving.

I made this recipe last year using the Bacardi Oakheart as the spiced rum portion and absolutely loved it. This year I decided to change it up a bit. I kept the base of the egg nog the same as Jeffrey's with the only exception being that I swapped out the spiced rum for the Honey Cinnamon Infused Vodka.

The flavor profile of the Egg Nog is very smooth and subtle. You can barely taste that there is any alcohol. The only thing that you can really taste is the Honey and Cinnamon of the Infused Vodka. It was so smooth that Momma-San actually asked me if it was a "Virgin" Egg Nog. Yeah, this is one dangerous holiday concoction. =)

Give it a go. Let me know what you think.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla