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Drink

Southern Eggnog

A rich, creamy holiday drink made with eggs, sugar, cream, brandy, and rum.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Brandy and rum are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,058 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Southern Eggnog

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the eggs

  1. Separate the egg whites and yolks.

  2. Beat the egg yolks until smooth, then gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat.

Add the liquors and cream

  1. Add the brandy and rum to the yolk mixture, beating continuously.

  2. Slowly incorporate the cream into the mixture, continuing to beat.

  3. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites until well combined.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Brandy + rumtop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  2. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  3. Sugar + rumtop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,908 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  4. Cream + brandytop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,635 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).

  5. Egg + brandytop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,340 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Yolks add richness and body, while beaten whites lighten the mixture's texture.
Sugar
Adds sweetness and helps the beaten yolks become smooth and stable.
Cream
Adds richness and a smooth, creamy body to the mixture.
Brandy
Contributes aroma and warming flavor to the drink.
Rum
Contributes aroma and depth of flavor to the drink.

The step that matters

Gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Beaten egg whites hold air that gives the eggnog lightness. Vigorous stirring deflates that foam, so the whites should be folded in slowly and gently until just combined.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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