That Most Divisive Drink

Sometime ago, pumpkin spice became a semi-official flavoring for millions of coffee guzzlers in the fall.  More recently it has managed to weasel its way into the recipes for dozens of other grocery products ranging from granola bars to Cheerios or from almonds to Oreos.  However, long before pumpkin spice became the rage, there was another spicey drink that dominated another season altogether.

Eggnog is a divisive topic in the Born household.  For some inexplicable reason, my children all grew to love it from an early age.  Our youngest is now sixteen and she eagerly anticipates the arrival of the eggnog jug every December.  Your author, on the other hand, gave it a sip once some years ago and promptly set the cup back down.  I've never picked it up since.

Our versions of eggnog today, with eggs, milk, sugar, heavy cream, nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon (and the occasional addition of alcoholic spirits) seem to derive from a Medieval remedy called posset.  An early reference to posset was in the English “Boke of Nature” from about 1460.  Used as a cure for colds, posset consisted of heated milk mixed with alcohol and then sweetened and spiced with the same ingredients now used in eggnog.

Over time, egg yolks were included.  Sometimes breadcrumbs were added.  The wealthy, with access to dairy more regularly, began making posset desserts often, even giving them as gifts.

Fast-forward to those pesky English colonies.  By the late 1700s, colonists had been making and modifying their own versions of posset for generations.  As with the recipe, the name shifted.  By the time of the American Revolution, eggnog had superseded posset as the common moniker.

But why “nog” at all?  Well, I’m not going to be able to settle that for you.  One version says that nog was a strong beer originally brewed in England and then the colonies.  Another account considers nog to be a shortened version of noggin, which was a small wooden cup used to serve ale.  Finally, some folks think it derives from “grog,” a kind-of catchall term for rum or booze.

And speaking of rumors, there is one floating online that claims none other than George Washington himself had a particularly boozy recipe for eggnog that he served at Christmas parties.  As fun as that might be to think about, the historians at Mount Vernon have never discovered any evidence that these claims are true.

There is, however, an eggnog tie-in to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.  The superintendent in 1826 banned the consumption of alcohol by cadets.  The young men did not take kindly to this act.  In what is known as the Eggnog Riot of 1826, the cadets brewed up some potent eggnog in protest.  With inhibitions completely eliminated after consuming their strong drink, they set about destroying property and assaulting officers.  Five of the protestors were politely encouraged to withdraw from school and eleven were expelled outright.

See what happens when you drink that most cringe-worthy drink?  You’ve been warned.

Until next time!

Glass of eggnog.