Why it works: Whisky and milk work together. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 287 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Egg Nog
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Separate the egg, placing the white in a saucer and the yolk in a glass.
Add sugar to the yolk and heat well while beating continuously.
Stir in the whisky or brandy until thick.
Finish
Fill the glass 2-3 full with rich milk.
Beat the egg white to a froth and stir it into the glass.
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.
-
Whisky + milktop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together287 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + whiskytop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,008 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Egg yolk
- Provides richness and body, thickening the drink as it is heated and beaten.
- Egg white
- Whipped to a froth, it adds lightness and a airy texture to the finished drink.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps balance the richness of the yolk and milk.
- Whisky or brandy
- Adds aroma and warming flavour to the drink.
- Rich milk
- Supplies the main liquid, giving the eggnog its body and creaminess.
The step that matters
Heating the sugared yolk while beating continuously. Egg yolk proteins set when heated, so if the yolk gets too hot or is left still it can scramble into lumps. Constant beating spreads the heat evenly and keeps the mixture smooth and thickened.
“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.
More eggnog recipes
You might also like
Vegetable Soup350 recipes
Raspberry Vinegar214 recipes
Brown Coffee with Egg175 recipes
Blackberry Cordial129 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.