Beloved Eggnog

Sometimes I will drink a whole gallon.  Sure I'll feel like garbage afterwards, but who cares!  It's Christmas, and eggnog has hit the shelves.  I have as all have you have been waiting all year for this delectable beverage treat that only comes during the Yuletide season.  Nothing feels better than having that egg froth coat the inside of your mouth after whopping a sugary high upon your taste buds.  Are you on cloud nine?  Did you win the lottery?  Did your favorite soap star EJ just hook up with Samantha?  Even better.  You just drank yourself a not-so-healthy serving of eggnog.

The sad truth about
our beloved Egg Nog

Now you are probably wondering if this drink was heaven-sent.  Actually there is a history behind this drink.  There is a heated debate among scholars where the word "eggnog" came from.  Theory number one: the word "nog" could have derived from the term "noggin" - a small mug used to carry alcoholic drinks.  So a bartender would have made this eggs and milkish drink, thrown it into this noggin thing and bam.  There is is: eggnog.  Theory number two: the term could have been a mix between the words "egg" and "grog" - a Colonial term for alcoholic drinks during their time.  Then you can see the progression, "egg'n'grog" and then "eggnog".

You see, eggnog was not found in the pantry of the servant, nor even in the store of the merchant.  In Great Britain back in the good ol' times there weren't no refrigeration.  Uh-oh!  That means that only the rich aristocracy could afford expensive dairy products that were very difficult to keep fresh.  You can know when you top of your glass that this is literally a drink for kings.  In fact, during the 1800's it was to be made in very large amounts for noble and aristocratic parties and served cold.  One could even say that it was improper to throw a Christmas party without a good amount of eggnog ready for the late-night British partiers.

The British brought their eggnog drink over to America where farms were very prevalent - eggs and milk were a lot easier to come by than in the heavily-industrialized cities of Great Britain.  Add the cheap alcohol that was exported from Britain and what do you get?  Cheap eggnog all around!  It's said that even George Washington was a big fan of eggnog, concocting his own recipe including rye whiskey, sherry and rum.  Even before eggnog, you remember John Smith from the movie Pocahontas?  The REAL John Smith (he didn't wimp out and sail back to England) reports that eggnog was an available drink in Jamestown, the very first American settlement.  No wonder eggnog has such a strong hold on American's hearts! The drink became (naturally) wildly popular, and since then we have had this blessed drink on the shelves of almost every grocery store during the holiday season.