Ingredients

Tight on time? Here’s how to make no-fuss spiked eggnog.

Eggnog is a delightful holiday drink, and the effort required to enjoy it represents quite a spectrum. But on that spectrum, somewhere between sweating into a bowl of bespoke eggnog tediously made from scratch and taking home a plastic jug of chemically thickened dairy goop from the grocery store, there is a safe and easy method to make quality eggnog at home. This ‘nog is satisfyingly tasty, and arriving with a jugful will win you great praise at the holiday party.

This “cheater” recipe does rely on sourcing a reasonably good, store-bought bottle of eggnog. How do you select the best? The same with everything of quality: choose the one with the fewest ingredients and the most warnings.

Homemade eggnog is made simply with milk, cream, eggs and sugar. Therefore, the best possible store-bought eggnog will contain these ingredients, plus perhaps one preservative. Ideally, it will also contain enough fresh eggs to require a food safety precaution about consuming unpasteurized eggs. You will need 3 quarts of this. Don’t worry, you are now 20% done with your shopping.

You will also need an empty one-gallon glass jug, one 750 mL bottle of Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged Cachaça, a 375 mL bottle of your favorite herbal liqueur, and one piece of nutmeg.

Using a funnel, pour everything except the nutmeg in the one-gallon jug. Screw on the cap, give it a few good shakes to combine, and refrigerate to allow the flavors to settle. The ‘nog will be fine to drink right away, but it will taste even more delicious after one week in the fridge.

The nutmeg is for grating on top of the eggnog. That sprinkle of nutmeg is the real secret that makes your ‘nog appear to be homemade. We won’t tell.

Congratulations — you have just made 25 servings of tasty, boozy eggnog, and everyone will consider you their holiday hero!

What’s that, you say? You want to make cachaça eggnog from scratch?! We admire your ambition. Read the recipe for it here.