National Egg Nog Day

Today is considered national Egg Nog Day. With or without rum – it’s a traditional Christmas drink. Vanilla is a common flavoring, often with nutmeg sprinkled on top. Some other toppings include whipped cream, meringue, cinnamon, ice cream or chocolate shavings. It’s usually available in the stores in the weeks before Thanksgiving and right thru New Years.

It’s pretty high in fat and cholesterol made with milk and/or cream, sugar and whipped eggs. Some rum substitutes are whisky, brandy or bourbon. Sometimes egg nog is added to coffee or tea as a flavoring.

It was brought to this country from England based on beverage made with hot milk. The “nog” part of it comes from the word “noggin”, a term for a small, carved wooden mug used to serve alcohol. The English drink was also called “egg flip” because the mixture of milk and eggs was quickly poured or “flipped” from one pitcher to another.

It’s believed that travelers would drink some egg nog to fill them up before a journey.

There’s an incident known as the Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy at Christmas time in 1826. Twenty cadets and one enlisted soldier were court-martialed for smuggling whiskey into the barracks to make eggnog on Christmas Day.