The beverage called eggnog is a love it or hate it proposition. Some people relish its mix of eggs, milk, sugar, cream and spices, while others cannot stand it. Nonetheless, it is as associated with the festive season as Christmas trees covered in fairy lights.
Why is eggnog drunk at Christmas?
An aristocratic option
The roots of this curious drink lie in the UK, where it was originally favoured by the upper classes. At this time, it had no real connection to Christmas though, as the aristocrats quaffed it all year round. They usually added alcohol to the mix, with sherry and brandy being the preferred choices.
What happened next is that the first British settlers in the US took the drink with them when they started their new lives. However, brandy proved to be a lot more expensive in that country, so it was replaced with either whiskey or rum.
A festive beverage
At first, eggnog was consumed in the US pretty much all of the time. There was plenty of farmland, which meant key ingredients like eggs and milk were in ready supply. Whiskey was also easy to come by, but these ingredients became scarce during the cold winters.
This made eggnog rarer too and turned it into a treat. Then, there is the fact that it is a naturally rich and heavy drink. This makes it a lot more suitable for cold weather than the height of the summer. The result is that a festive tradition was born.
Will you be having eggnog this Christmas?
