Eggnog: the Rich History of a Holiday Tradition

As a child, I often looked at the seasonal eggnog cartons in the local grocery store and wondered who first created the recipe and where in the world it came from? After all, carrying on a tradition without knowing “the why” seemed rather pointless. Especially when you really stop and think about it, eggnog is a rather odd drink, in a way reminiscent of a liquid custard or even an unfrozen ice cream. Now that my kids are asking the same questions, I decided it was time to explore the rich and colorful background of this historical holiday drink!

The origin of eggnog is elusive, but most historians agree that it probably originated from a medieval British drink called posset. Often made and consumed by monks, it was a spicy, sweetened ale-like milky drink. Over time, variations developed with whipped eggs and even figs being added to the mix! Traditionally, this beverage was served hot.

How the beverage came to be called eggnog is a highly debated mystery. Most sources agree that the “nog” part likely came from the term “noggin.” A noggin was a small wooden cup used to serve very strong ale—think of it as a medieval shot glass. Keep in mind that the eggnog of the 1600’s was highly alcoholic! Eggnog’s connection to the holiday season, started in Colonial America during the 1700’s. By the end of that century, the combined name of eggnog was forever linked to this memorable beverage.

During the 1600’s sherry was actually one of the primary ingredients in eggnog, making it a popular drink for toasting to one’s health and prosperity. Because eggs, milk and sherry were all rather scarce and expensive commodities in Europe during this time period, eggnog was enjoyed primarily by the wealthy. However, conditions in the American Colonies were quite different. While British liquors were extremely pricey, Caribbean rum was plentiful and fairly cheap. Locally produced eggs and milk were also readily available. This accessibility led to a rum-based variation of eggnog which rapidly gained popularity with all social stations. Even George Washington was an eggnog fan! He created his own take on this holiday favorite with might I add a VERY heavily spiked version!

As the years passed, eggnog started loosing its popularity among the European aristocracy, while at the same time gaining traction and taking off like wildfire in the newly formed America. There was even an infamous Eggnog Riot at the prestigious West Point Military Academy on December 24th and 25th of 1826! Earlier that same year, the Superintendent, a Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, banned the consumption and storage of alcohol at the school. Apparently, excessive alcohol consumption was becoming a serious issue among the cadets, especially during the annual Christmas party. Not to be deprived of their customary overindulgence of a heavily-laden alcoholic eggnog during their festive holiday gathering, several cadets decided to ignore the Colonel’s orders and smuggle a LOT of whiskey onto campus! A HUGE batch of VERY spiked eggnog was soon ready to kick-off the party. A few cadets even went to extraordinary lengths in crossing the Hudson River to assure a seemingly endless supply of liquor was available to keep the brew flowing all night.

Suspecting that such mischief was highly likely, the Colonel sent two officers over to look-in on the cadet’s party. According to Smithsonian Magazine’s extensive account of the night’s events, things quickly got out of hand! Both officers were physically assaulted, a mass of plates, dishes and cups were reduced to broken shards and most of the windows in the North Barracks were smashed! Even the banisters on the stairwells were torn off! That must have been some wild party! When all was said and done, 11 cadets were expelled from the Academy, while 19 others were court-marshaled the following month. Another 60-some party goers managed to escape the scandal and disgrace, one of whom was the future President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis. Just think, all this trouble, simply over eggnog!

Meanwhile, eggnog began to travel throughout the North American continent, adapting it’s form to the flavors of each new area. In the American South, whiskey took preference over rum. By the time it reached Mexico, they added Mexican vanilla, Mexican cinnamon and a grain alcohol to the basic eggnog blend and called it rompope. Eggnog’s influence expanded to South American and Puerto Rico as well. Called coquito in Puerto Rico, it has coconut milk and the eggs are optional. Meanwhile in Peru, they refer to it as pisco and make it with Peruvian brandy. But no matter how far it has traveled over its ancient lifetime or its many adaptions, the basic idea has remained pretty much consistent: some kind of milk or cream, sweetener, eggs, spices, and alcohol.

Although at its birth, the original eggnog recipe is believed to have contained minimal alcohol, over time it became more and more heavily spiked. This is probably do to the lack of refrigeration and its association with the holidays. Some of the spices added were also chosen with the belief that they aided in the prevention of food poisoning, and not just to help create a pleasant flavor.

With eggnog being made with such a high alcohol content throughout much of the 1800’s, it provide several very colorful stories, and sadly in some cases, many violent ones in newspapers of the time. But this took a sharp turn shortly after the turn of the century with the coming of Prohibition (1920-1933). During these 13 years consuming alcohol was illegal in the United States. But with speakeasies springing up all around the country, obtaining eggnog in it’s traditional spiked form was not altogether impossible.

By the 1940’s, a nonalcoholic version of eggnog started arriving on store shelves. According to a New York Times author of the time period two of the earliest brands to jump of the bandwagon offering premade nonalcoholic versions were Sheffield Farms and Borden’s. It was only $.60 a quart in the store, and slightly more if you choose to have it added to your family’s regular milk delivery courtesy of your local milkman. Even so, President Dwight Eisenhower’s personal recipe still called for one quart of bourbon although he notes a mix of rum, brandy and bourbon would also suffice. Finally about the 1960’s, the current nonalcoholic, served cold version which we are most familiar with became the mainstream and standard eggnog. What a journey! One recipe, several centuries, multiple continents and potentially hundreds of variations!

Want to try our dairy-free take on this holiday favorite, click on the link here —>Traditional Homemade Dairy Free Holiday Eggnog

I hope you enjoyed exploring the history of this classic holiday beverage with me, the Homesteading Hen

Does your family have a holiday tradition centered around eggnog? If so, leave us a comment below, we love to hear from our readers!