With the six weeks of the holiday season rapidly approaching I thought I would take a look at some of our holiday traditions and ways we celebrate. For all of us it's a time when friends and family get together to give thanks. We think about life and religion, and exchange gifts to show we care. We also have parties to celebrate the old and the new, and to blow off some steam so we don't get too crazy. For many of us, libations are a part of how we celebrate. Eggnog and punch are some of the traditional holiday favorites that we serve, most especially eggnog for Christmas.

My parents came from opposite ends of Europe and moved to the US right after getting married. They were used to celebrating in vastly different ways, but ended up forming their own holiday traditions; some of which have changed over the years to meet our families needs. For us serving eggnog, and the tradition of my father sitting in the kitchen preparing it the day before, signified that we were coming together as family and friends. A time when we celebrate all the reasons why we know and love each other; and to try and forget all our disagreements, stress, and strife. While thinking about all this I thought I would do a little research on these two related holiday beverages: eggnog and punch.

Eggnog

Eggnog could properly be called a milk punch. There are some disagreements on the origins of eggnog but it is accepted that the forerunners of eggnog were first developed in Europe. One was a drink called a posset, a hot drink made with eggs, milk and wine or ale. It is pretty certain that it was in America that eggnog as we now know it was first made using rum and whiskey. There are a ton of eggnog recipes out there. Simple ones where you just pour rum or whiskey into store bought eggnog, cooked eggnogs, and everything in between. I want to share with you my family's recipe at the end of this post because i think it is so good. It's unusual in that whipped cream is one of the ingredients, guaranteeing an eggnog thicker than most and with a fantastic taste. If you like a super thick and creamy eggnog then you'll love this one. Not only that, but you will look great with a nice pastel yellow eggnog mustache to lick sexily from your upper lip. Or get a friend to do it for you. Got Eggnog?

Punch

The history of punch is even more argued about than that of eggnog. Some say that it is originally from India, and was brought back to Europe by sailors of the British East India Trading Company. Others disagree and say that it is European in nature, although sailors helped to develop it and it is a shortening of the word puncheon. But I think this drink is multi-cultural in nature because you can find similar drinks in all alcohol using countries, and non-alcoholic versions as well. There are a million recipes for punch from the Trashcan Punch made with Hawaiian Punch, vodka, and pure grain alcohol and mixed in a garbage can at college parties, Jamaican Rum Punch that you may have had on vacation, wine based ones that we sip in summer such as Sangria, to classy champagne punches that kick start your party and get everyone in a festive mood.

Leon's Whipped Cream Eggnog

This is descended from a recipe that my father, Leon (who is Latvian), found on the back of a bottle of whiskey when he and my mother Mary (who is English and Welsh) first immigrated to the US in 1956; and were celebrating their first Christmas in their new country and home. Eggnog is not a Latvian tradition, nor is it Welsh, but my father had tasted it in England and wanted to try his hand at it. He worked for many years making the recipe his own, tweaking it a bit each year. Some years it would be a bit weaker, some stronger, but always very thick and creamy. Then when I was a teen I started adding my input as well, usually by saying it needed more booze, as I got older by suggesting less, and not too long ago recommending the addition of just a wee bit of vanilla extract; amazingly he even listened to me upon some of those occasions. My father still makes and serves this noggin every single Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years as he has for what has now become fifty years in America. Just this past weekend we made a test batch together to check on the recipe and make sure it was ready for offering to the general public. This eggnog is best if made the day before you plan on serving it and then chilling it fully. Otherwise it will be way too thick to serve and drink.

Recipe: Leon's Whipped Cream Eggnog

Ingredients

18 Eggs
3 cups Heavy Cream
2 cups Half and Half
1 cup Milk
3 cups sugar
3 cups American Blended Whiskey
1 cup Dark Rum
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Fresh ground nutmeg or whole nutmegs and grater for serving

3 medium size mixing bowls (I prefer chilled stainless steel bowls because the ingredients whip easier)
1 very large mixing bowl or punch bowl

Separate eggs into clean and dry medium mixing bowls.
Beat egg whites until stiff, then add 3/4 cup of sugar and beat until the sugar is fully integrated and the whites are very firm peaks.
Beat egg yolks until the start to get thick and lighter in color, then add 3/4 cup sugar and continue to beat until fluffy and almost white colored. Don't worry about over beating, this stage takes the longest but makes it all worthwhile.
Beat heavy cream with 1 1/2 cups sugar until soft peaks stage.
In very large mixing bowl gently fold together the whipped yolks, whites, and cream.
Add the Half and Half, milk, rum, whiskey, and vanilla and mix by hand gently but thoroughly; it will be very thick with no liquid
Pour into a large punch bowl and chill fully, preferably overnight, but at least eight to ten hours.
If you don't let it chill and settle it will be difficult to serve and drink this thick and creamy eggnog.
Eventually the mixture will separate into a nice eggnog with a thick, fluffy, and creamy topping; as much as two+ inches thick.
Don't stir too much or the topping will loose some of it's appeal.
Ladle into punch cups with about 2/3 eggnog and 1/3 topping and serve with a sprinkle of fresh ground nutmeg.

Makes around 25-30+ servings