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 Nog
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Beat the yolks of the eggs and stir in the milk.
Place the mixture in a double boiler and cook until it thickens into a thin custard.
Sweeten to taste and let it cool.
Finish and serve
Add the brandy, rum, and beaten egg whites, mixing well.
Fold in the whipped cream and mix thoroughly.
Garnish with grated nutmeg before serving very cold.
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.
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Brandy + rumtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,058 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Rum + nutmegtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together646 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
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Milk + rumtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together967 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Cream + nutmegtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,920 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Yolks thicken the milk into a custard, and whites lighten the drink.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base that the egg yolks thicken into custard.
- Whipped cream
- Adds richness and a light, airy texture to the finished drink.
- French brandy
- Adds alcohol flavour and aroma while thinning the custard.
The step that matters
Cooking the custard in a double boiler. Egg yolks thicken from gentle heat; if the mixture gets too hot it can curdle or scramble. Slow, indirect heat keeps the custard smooth and thin.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, milk, sugar, brandy, rum, cream):
- Nutmegthe original
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Gingerfits less well
- Clovefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, milk, sugar, brandy, rum, cream. 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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