Irish Cream Eggnog

This post for Irish Cream Eggnog is brought to you in partnership with Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream. All words and opinions are my own.

There’s a first time for everything and this Year I’m adding the making of homemade eggnog to the list.

I grew up pulling the thick, sweet, butter yellow store bought version from the fridge and cutting it with ice and milk.

Now that I’ve spent a few years inside this fussy realm we call adulthood, I’ve decided it’s high time that I moved into a more elevated bourbon based version  – with a splash of Irish cream for good measure.

Egg nog can be made with either rum or bourbon. Since this eggnog is inspired by Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream, which happens to be made with an aged, triple distilled Irish Whiskey, I decided that a bourbon base was the way to go.

This eggnog is rich and creamy with a hint of nutmeg, a punch of bourbon, and a smooth sweet finish with the flavor of Irish cream.

Honestly, I fell in love with this Irish cream before even tasting it – the beautiful bottle has to be one of my favorites and makes me happy to see sitting up on the bar. The product inside the bottle is simple and lovely, crafted with cream from the fields of Derry in Ireland, along with ‘The Quiet Man’ Irish Whiskey. Pure and simple. Authentic. Everything you want in an Irish Cream. 

Ok, quick chat about the baby elephant in the room – raw eggs.

Eggnog is indeed made with raw eggs. If you are not making an alcoholic version of eggnog, you may end up cooking the mixture before chilling it and drinking it. However, there is no need for doing so when alcohol is added to the mix. In essence, the alcohol ‘cooks’ the raw egg and makes it safe to consume.

Here, we separate the yolks from the whites. Sugar is whipped into the yolks, and then the mixture is thinned with the addition of bourbon, Irish cream, milk, and cream. The egg whites are then beaten and folded into the eggnog to make it light and foamy. You can whisk freshly grated nutmeg into the mixture, if you like, but I like to grate it right over the top of the poured cocktail. It will still disperse well and looks so lovely(whole star anise are real showstoppers, so garnish with those as well, if you have them!).

A note on the nutmeg garnish – all ground spices lose their potency and freshness rather quickly . I really recommend using whole spices whenever you can. Nutmeg is easy to keep and grate whenever needed. Use a fine grater, preferably a microplane, to grate your nutmeg. The look alone of a nutmeg cross section is such a simple little pleasure.

 

This eggnog is best served right away, however it can store for a few days in the refrigerator -give it a good whisk before serving.

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