There are two types of people in this world: those who can drink one or two glasses of egg nog each Christmas season and are good for the year and those of us who would brush our teeth in it if we could. We could go through a gallon of it ourselves in a week no problem, no matter the cost to our pant size. In case you couldn’t tell I am in the second category. I LOVE egg nog. I get so excited when I see it in stock in the grocery stores. It makes it more tolerable hearing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for the 167^th time this season just so long as I can drink a cup of egg nog to make up for it.

You ever wonder how the big guy gets through his long Christmas night?

Egg nog.

I started researching the origins of egg nog and the origins of eggnog in the U.S. are older than the country itself. The first batch was made at Captain John Smith’s Jamestown settlement in 1607. John Smith, you know the guy from the movie Pocahontas, that John Smith. It’s said the colonists called their mixture “egg and grog,” the latter being a then-common term for any drink made with rum.

The name was eventually shortened to “egg’n’grog” and later, eggnog. The adult version of the beverage contains milk, sugar, beaten eggs, some kind of liquor (brandy, rum or whiskey are common) and spices such as ground cinnamon and nutmeg.

So there you go. Thank you, John Smith, for bringing eggnog to America before it was America! Thank you for helping bring holiday cheer and helping me get through a busy Christmas season! I will say that eggnog is another one of those things that there are so many different stories and people who claim to have been the first ones to bring it over so your guess is as good as mine where it truly started. But I think the John Smith story is pretty dang cool.

I found the most delicious recipe for homemade non-alcoholic egg nog for you today. This recipe makes a small batch but you can quadruple it or whatever you need to do for a party and it will turn out fabulously! I realize that grocery stores are stocked with several different options for egg nog, but like most things, it is just yet another thing that is better homemade. The great thing about making it yourself is that you can control what you put in it. You can add just the right touches of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. And it is actually quite simple to make too!

Have you ever made homemade egg nog? What did you think?

Non-Alcoholic Egg Nog

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk

• 5 whole cloves

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

• 4 egg yolks

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg plus more for garnish

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Combine milk, cloves, cinnamon and condensed milk over low heat in a deep sauce pan until the mixture is no longer chilled and is heated through. Slowly increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a low boil. Careful not to allow a rolling boil.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. Beat eggs using a stand mixer,electric mixer or by hand until lightened in color and fluffy.

3. Slowly temper the eggs by adding about 1 tbsp. at a time of the hot milk mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Once enough of the milk mixture is in the egg mixture, pour it all back into the sauce pan. Heat over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened. You will know it's thick when you can leave a clean line on the back of a spoon (see picture above).

4. Add the heavy whipping cream, nutmeg and vanilla extract to the mixture and heat through. Do not bring to a boil.

5. Strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer to catch the spices. Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator and let cool for at least one hour, preferably longer.

6. Serve cold. Garnish with additional nutmeg if desired.

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