Homemade Eggnog (Spiked or Not)

There are a lot of wonderful things about having your own chickens. The entertainment. The adorableness. The delicious scrambled eggs. But my favorite thing right now? The endless supply of homemade eggnog in my fridge.

I am one of those eggnog-obsessed folks. I know a lot of people aren’t eggnog fans (eggnog seems to be one of those things like cilantro, coconut, and olives—you either love it or hate it), but for me, eggnog is life. I only give myself permission to drink it after Thanksgiving, because if I “allowed” myself to have it around all year long, I’d drink so much of it that it would lose all its appeal. Half of what makes eggnog so special is the novelty of it all. That, and the bourbon.

Right now, I’m really digging this bourbon-tastic homemade eggnog recipe that I got from The Chew—they are a great resource for all things holiday-related. And because I know not everyone is as into the holiday cheer as I am, I’ve tweaked the recipe to show you how to make both spiked and spike-free eggnog for all of your favorite revelers (adorable chickens not included).

Eggnog is definitely a nostalgic thing for me. I have a very clear memory from my childhood of my dad cracking eggs into an empty milk jug, filling it up with cream, and shaking the heck out of it in preparation for our family Christmas celebration.

I loved eggnog as a kid, and now that I’m adult, I’ve found a whole other level of appreciation for it now that I can spike it with booze. My drink of choice after the nugget is in bed each night? Homemade eggnog with a splash of amaretto. It’s a delicious, drinkable dessert!

If you’ve never made eggnog at home, it’s remarkably easy and so much tastier than the stuff in the store! I think the store-bought eggnog is overly sweet—I love that by making it at home, you can control all the variables. Make it as sweet as you like. Make it thinner if you don’t like the super thick consistency. Add more nutmeg. Add more vanilla. Make it your own!

I think many folks are turned off from making eggnog at home due to the fact that most traditional recipes call for the eggs to be raw. There are variations where you gently cook the mixture to pasteurize it—but if you want the most authentic flavor, you should be keeping those eggs raw. Of course, you have to decide what you are comfortable with for your family! We leave our eggs raw (I’m not sure I would feel as comfortable doing it if I didn’t know exactly where my eggs came from). Either way, I’ve included a note below for how to pasteurize your ‘nog if you’d like.

I’ve tested out a lot of different homemade eggnog recipes over the years, and The Chew’s version is my favorite because it is so rich, creamy, and deliciously flavorful. They know what they’re talking about! If you’ve never seen The Chew (you can check it out on weekdays at 1e|12c|p on ABC), it’s a very cool food-centric talk show—it’s basically like a big ole party in the kitchen.

They cover all kinds of food topics from a bunch of different perspectives—it’s a super fun show to tune into if you’re a foodie! It’s especially wonderful during the holidays. They have lots of great tips and recipes to make your holiday season eats festive and fun. If you want to check it out, you can view clips and full episodes on the ABC website.

The Chew is especially wonderful during the holidays! . They have lots of great tips and recipes to make your holiday season eats festive and fun. They focus mostly on food (hence the name, obviously), but they branch out and do party tips, host and hostess ideas, and even some really awesome craft tutorials.

If you happen to be eyeballing the über cute peppermint candy tray that my eggnog is sitting on in these pictures, that idea is courtesy of the geniuses over at The Chew! It was so easy to make, and I think it’s a pretty darn adorable way to display some yummy yummy eggnog. Here’s the video I nabbed the tutorial from:

Their eggnog version is quite spiked with over 2 1/2 cups of booze in the batch (party! party! party!). I personally like to keep my eggnog un-spiked in the fridge (that way I can easily add it to oatmeal and other goodies), and then add in liquor later.

In the recipe below, you’ll see my recommendations for spiking—but you can easily leave those out for virgin eggnog. Enjoy! Happy Holidays!