It’s that time of year again, time to bring out the creamy frothy drink we all know and well some of us love–Eggnog. Nothing says holidays like adding a little bourbon to our cream am I right? Like other Thirsty Thursdays we are going to dive into how Eggnog came to be, learn a little bit about the history and what it takes to make this festive beverage. Let’s jump right in shall we?
Eggnog is typically associated with the United States and Canada and it is drank from around the American Thanksgiving to Christmas. It is also know as milk punch or egg milk punch. The nog typically symbolizes that there is alcohol in the drink, although it can be served non-alcoholic as well. Eggnog consists of milk or cream, sugar, whipped eggs and brandy, rum or bourbon. You can buy eggnog pre-made in both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions and many people make their eggnog from scratch. I will be attempting to do so this weekend at my holiday party, stay tuned as I have never sampled it before and will know one way or another if I am full of Christmas cheer or scrooging it up.
Moving on, let’s talk about the history of the beverage. Like many cases there is no real definite place in history where we can pinpoint eggnog surfacing in the U.S. or Canada. It has been found in writing in 1775 in Maryland by a Jonathan Boucher poem about the drink itself. He mentions the term eggnog and this is one of the earliest accounts of the drink in written history. The term “nog” itself is debated as either a strong beer from East Anglia or a Middle English term for a small wooden carved mug. The drink itself could have come from a beverage known as posset, which was a medieval European beverage that monks drank with hot milk. It was used as a cold and flu remedy and in the 13th century eggs were added to the drink making it strongly resemble today’s egg nog.
Although eggnog is associated most with North America other countries around the world drink versions of it as well. In Venezuela and Trinidad there is a drink known as Ponche Crema that is also drank around the Christmas season. In Germany they drink something known as biersuppe which is an eggnog made with beer. And in Britain there is a similar beverage that is made with milk, eggs and sherry. So although we enjoy this festive spirit this time of year we share it with much of the world in different variations.
Want to sample different forms of eggnog from around the world? Time to call Ambassador Travel to book your next getaway, where to next?
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Sometimes going into Thirsty Thursday I am here to debunk what are thought be cultural drinks, and are simply American made with fancy names. Today is just that day. On a regular (daily) basis I learn so much about what I am writing about. Today again is one of those days. I thought I would continue our Russian theme this week by featuring a White Russian. I was hoping to find out that this popular creamy beverage had a rich culture in the Motherland, but I was sadly mistaken. 
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