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Drink

Southern Egg Nogg

A punch made with eggs, sugar, milk, nutmeg, brandy, whiskey, and rum.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Kaufman, Nettie M · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Why it works: Egg and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 24,744 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓

Southern Egg Nogg

Ingredients

Directions

Combine the liquors

  1. Add 16 eggs and 1/2 pint brandy.

  2. Add 3 scant cups sugar, 1/2 pint whiskey, 1 gallon milk, and 1/2 nutmeg.

  3. Add 1/2 pint rum.

Make the custard

  1. Separate eggs and beat the yolks with the sugar, as for a cake.

  2. Gradually add the milk, then the various liquors, and grated nutmeg, and finally beat in the stiff-beaten whites of eggs.

Age and serve

  1. Mix it and place in a stone crock, covered, for at least two days before wanted.

  2. Stir up and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

139Calories
6 gProtein
6 gFat
14 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Kaufman, Nettie M. 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. See the original page.

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. Egg + nutmegtop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together24,744 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

  2. Sugar + nutmegtop 20% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together23,364 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).

  3. Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together122,807 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Egg and nutmeg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 24,744 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

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

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Yolks enrich and thicken the drink, while whites add lightness and body.
Sugar
Sweetens the drink and helps the yolks beat to a smooth, creamy base.
Milk (in the method)
Forms the liquid base and gives the eggnog its creamy texture.
Nutmeg
Adds warm aroma and spice that complements the eggs and dairy.

The step that matters

Beating the whites in. Stiff-beaten whites give the eggnog its airy lightness, so they should be added last and folded in gently to keep as much air as possible.

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Nutmegthe original
  3. Gingerfits less well
  4. Capersfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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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