Old-fashioned Eggnog Recipe

Old-fashioned Eggnog Recipe

  • 6 large eggs, separated
  • 1¼ cups superfine sugar (see Note)
  • ¾ cup dark rum
  • ¾ cup brandy
  • ¼ cup bourbon
  • 1½ quarts heavy cream or half and half
  • 1 pint high-quality vanilla ice cream, for serving
  • Freshly grated nutmeg, for serving
  1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at high speed, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow. Beat in the rum, brandy, and bourbon, then the cream.
  2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at high speed, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into the eggnog. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
  3. Transfer to a punch bowl. Using scissors, cut the container away from the ice cream, keeping the ice cream intact in one piece. Place the ice cream in the eggnog. Grate the nutmeg over the eggnog and serve immediately.
  4. Amaretto Eggnog: Omit the bourbon. Substitute ¾ cup Amaretto for the brandy. Decrease the sugar to 1 cup. If desired, add ¼ teaspoon almond extract. When serving, substitute toasted almond ice cream for the vanilla ice cream.