Eggnog: A Holiday Icon

 Eggnog.One of the things that I like the most about living in the U.S. is to discover and embrace the country culture and traditions through food and drinks, especially for the Holidays. Today’s recipe is precisely a classic for the Holidays.Eggnog is to Americans what ponche crema is to Venezuelans. It’s the drink for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve and, like Venezuelan punch, it’s made of eggs, milk, cream and some kind of spirit. The Venezuelan punch is like liquid custard, the American eggnog is like a batter made of milk, cream and raw eggs and it is seasoned with baking spices.Eggnog comes from England where it was reserved for the rich: milk and cream were scarce and there was no refrigeration. Those who could afford milk and eggs to make eggnog, use to mix them with brandy or Madeira.In America, where dairy products were easily available as well as rum, eggnog became popular.Like Venezuelan punch, Puerto Rican coquito or Mexican rompope, this is not a drink for vegans or those who are lactose intolerant. This is the real dairy stuff, rich in flavor and in calories too.While researching for a recipe, I found eggnog made with bourbon, cognac and rum. Because Venezuela, my home country, produces some of the best aged rums in the world, I choose Ron de Venezuela Santa Teresa Añejo to make the eggnog we will drink on Christmas Eve.Since I don’t like raw eggs (but for my breakfast) I decided to cook them, the same way I do with my Venezuelan homemade punch. Not as cloying as ponche crema or coquito, the only problem is this eggnog is so good that you will want more than a cup. Salud!