Sure, there are lots of reasons why you might not like eggnog. It’s made with raw egg (which makes it hard to share with the kids), can be overly sweet, and tends to be heaaaavy. But I’ve got 7 reasons to love it, even if you think you don’t.
As an eggnog fan, I’m out to prove that there’s a nog for everyone. So for every eggnog complaint, I’ve found a delicious eggnog recipe solution. These recipes are, uh, the cream of the crop. So whip out the blender and get ready to cheers with nog this December 25th, even if you don’t celebrate Christmas!
We’ve got to start with a classic eggnog recipe (above), and to what better place to turn for classic recipes than Food52. This eggnog by Erik Lombardo, the man behind the cocktail program at famed NYC eater Maialino, is as stripped down and adaptable as nog gets. It’s the perfect way to start your adventures in nog.
Alton Brown is another great source for tried and true recipes. His eggnog recipe includes the egg whites, which traditionalists will appreciate. It also includes instructions for making cooked eggnog so that you don’t have to worry about serving raw eggs to kids.
I have to throw in this Spiked Holiday Eggnog recipe from Honestly Yum for the creative use of pisco and sherry. If you’re going to make your nog boozy, I love the sound of this combination as a match for the creamy, nutty flavor of classic eggnog.
Anytime I need a reliable “light” recipe, I start with Cooking Light. They did not disappoint this holiday season with their skinny eggnog recipe. The combination of whole milk and low-fat evaporated milk achieves the perfect eggnog texture without all that heaviness.
If you’re one of those people who doesn’t like eggnog because it falls on the vanilla end of the spectrum, I present thee with Chocolate Eggnog from Family Spice. Do I need to say more? Okay, how about this: the spiked version calls for brandy and whiskey. Laura is not messing around!
If you like the sound of coconut eggnog, then you’ll love coquito, the Puerto Rican version of nog. One of my favorite holiday drinks of all time, coquito offers up a heavenly combination of coconut milk and coconut cream. My favorite version of coquito from Oversalted is heavily spiced with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise. The coquito recipe from Shop.Cook.Make (pictured) is much more simple and also looks delicious.
I love coquito so much that I had to chime in with a recipe this year, too. I whipped up a dairy-free coquito (that’s accidentally vegan, too!) so that I could share it with my big guy who can’t tolerate dairy. I gave him a sneak peak during my recipe development day and got a big thumbs-up. We’re both pretty excited about drinking up on Christmas day. Me with rum, he without!
