One of the best-selling seasonal drinks ever to appear on the menu at world-famous cocktail bar Death & Co., the Vintage Eggnog made its holiday debut in 2015 – and every year the staff prepares thousands of servings. Filled with premium spirits and fresh eggs, it's a huge improvement over the ready-made varieties available in supermarkets in November and December.
“You could buy it at the store, but if you make it at home it tastes so much better,” says Death & Co. LA bar manager Matthew Belanger. “It will be so much fresher. “You have a lot more control over the ingredients you put in it, and I think it's just a better product.”
Eggnog and its variants have roots in medieval England and 18th-century America and have been made over the years from beer, wine and, at Death & Co., a blend of bourbon, Madeira, cognac and rum.
In earlier centuries, eggnog was made in part to help preserve eggs and milk, which was possible due to the drink's high alcohol content. With a sufficiently juicy mixture, eggnog is shelf-stable, but can also be stored in the fridge or freezer. As it ages, the flavors mix and change.
“It's a little funkier,” Belanger says of the aging version of Death & Co. “It's a little better integrated. If you make enough this year to enjoy some now and put some away—you could keep a bottle in the back of your fridge—then get it out next year and you can try it alongside the current vintage eggnog. And that'll be an interesting one be a comparison.”
When making Death & Co.'s Vintage Eggnog at home, use a food processor or blender, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding your equipment. Stand mixers work well if you want to age your eggnog so the sugar dissolves over time. However, if you prefer to sip straight away, use a blender to ensure the granules are broken up and distributed.
Rich, creamy and nuanced by the blend of four spirits, this is an eggnog recipe worth keeping and tasting all year round – if you can manage to keep something that long.
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