Favorite Christmas Cocktails (and their history)
The holiday season is a great time to enjoy festive holiday cocktails. Something that warms the soul and makes the family gatherings extra fun! Read on to discover the history of your favorite holiday cocktails and some recipes to make your parties extra special this Christmas.
Eggnog
Eggnog is perhaps the most classic of Christmas cocktails. You either love it or you hate it, but it is one of the oldest Christmas cocktail recipes.
The exact origins of eggnog are not exactly known, but there are references to it dating back to the 13th century in England where monks were known to drink a posset with eggs and figs. At the time, milk and eggs were seen as food of the wealthy, so drinking eggnog became synonymous with prosperity and good health.
Eggnog was also an essential Christmas cocktail in colonial America, with one of the most famous recipes coming from George Washington himself:
“One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, 1/2 pint rye whiskey, 1/2 pint Jamaica rum, 1/4 pint sherry—mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently.”
You might note that George Washington, in addition to adding a significant amount of alcohol, forgot to indicate the number of egg yolks to use in the recipe, but historians have figured about 1 dozen should do.
Today you can find eggnog on the grocery store shelves, but it does not contain the alcohol, nor the flavor of the true cocktail. This is likely because the US Food and Drug Administration permits that the drink can be made from as little as 1% egg yolk. This makes store-bought really more “milknog” than actual eggnog.
Consider making the real cocktail this year and enjoy responsibly!
Hot Toddy
The history of the Hot Toddy is widely disputed. Some say it originated in British-controlled India during the 1600s. The Hindi word “taddy” is defined as an Indian drink made from palm tree sap.
However this origin is disputed and some people believe it was first used by an Irish doctor named Robert Bentley Todd who prescribed the drink for medicinal purposes.
It is difficult to pin down the origin of the Hot Toddy likely because this cocktail does not have a standard recipe. A Hot Toddy should contain some type of liquor; a sweetener, such as honey or sugar; a warm base like coffee, tea, hot water or apple cider; and usually, lemon. The most common Hot Toddy recipe consists of bourbon, honey, hot water and lemon.
Hot Buttered Rum
First came the Hot Toddy, and soon after followed another classic Christmas cocktail: Hot Buttered Rum. Made to warm your body on cold winter nights, this cocktail is traditionally made with rum, hot water, sugar, butter, and optional spices.
The original Hot Toddy arrived in America during the colonial period when Rum was the most prominent spirit. Early settlers transformed the Hot Toddy into Hot Buttered Rum, with a few additional ingredients to make it not only warming, but also fulfilling. In fact, if made properly, one glass of hot buttered rum contains 300 calories or more.
This high calorie drink has been less popular in recent decades, but what are the holidays for if not to indulge in foods, and cocktails, you would not normally drink the rest of the year.
Cheers!
