Name: Egg Nogg
Ingredients: 20 egg yolks; 2 quarts cream; 2 quarts rich milk; 1½ quarts French brandy; 1 pint Jamaica rum; Sugar to taste

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 ↓

Egg Nogg

Ingredients

Directions

Make the base

Beat the egg yolks until very light.
Slowly pour the brandy and rum over the beaten yolks.

Add the dairy and serve

Dissolve the sugar in the cream or milk.
Pour the cream or milk mixture into the liquor and eggs.
Strain into another bowl and serve.

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.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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.

Brandy + rumtop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,058 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together43,450 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Milk + rumtop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together967 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Rum + sugartop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together2,908 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Milk + brandytop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,738 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Egg yolks: Provide richness and body, thickening the drink as they are blended with the liquid.
Cream: Adds richness and a smooth, velvety mouthfeel.
Milk: Thins the mixture and adds creamy body alongside the cream.
French brandy: Contributes aroma and warmth of flavour.
Jamaica rum: Adds aroma and a deeper, molasses-like flavour.
Sugar: Provides sweetness to balance the alcohol and richness.

“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.