Elmer's Eggnog

Well, last night was the pre-Christmas gathering for our extended family. It was held at Shana's place - which seems to have become a tradition by now - and both of the brothers who live nearby. and most of their offspring and grandchildren, were in attendance. My own kids and grand kids didn't make it. They had further to come, and had other commitments.

Another tradition, it seems, is that I bring the eggnog. I've been doing it for years, and it's pretty popular with my siblings and at least some of their kids. I consistently get asked to bring it whenever we attend those seasonal family events. If things go as planned, however, I might not be in the area next Christmas, and because of that, I've been asked to share the recipé.

What they don't know, is that I didn't invent the recipé. It actually came from my father-in-law. Here's the story:

Long ago, in order to pursue my career and support my family, I had to relocate to the center of the continental US. The distance away from our home turf prohibited frequent visits to relatives, and that caused my Honey a great deal of angst. Because of that, and the fact that I had no other more pressing reason to use accumulated vacation time, I saved all of my leave the first year we were out there, and I used it to take the family back to the Southeast for two weeks around Christmas time. It was just enough time to allow us to spend a few days with both our natal families.

It happened, during our visit, that we were with her family on Christmas Eve - a traditional time of gathering for that extended family - and everyone met at her grandmother's house for a feast. Their tradition held that Elmer, my father-in-law, was responsible for the eggnog. I watched and learned his secret, and I've made it his way, for my family as well as others, ever since.. The basic recipé is as follows:

Ingredients:

2 quart commercial eggnog - any decent brand
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 pint bourbon or sour mash whiskey

Directions:

Decant the commercial eggnog and whiskey into a punch bowl and stir thoroughly.

Whip the whipping cream until you have firm peaks.

Fold the whipped cream into the eggnog mixture about one cup at a time. Stir gently, so as to avoid breaking the tiny bubbles that keep the whipped cream light.

Serve in small cups - 6 to nine ounces, no more - and monitor your guests' consumption. This stuff tastes good, and will sneak up on you.

A word about the whiskey - don't use expensive stuff. You won't be getting your money's worth. The flavors of the eggnog are so overpowering, that only barest hint of whiskey flavor comes through. You won't be able to tell the difference between good whiskey and the cheap stuff. Do yourself a favor, for this recipé, buy the cheapest Kentucky bourbon or Tennessee sour mash whisky you can find. It'll taste just as good.

Enjoy.

Mariner