For centuries, eggnog has been part of America’s Christmas festivities. George Washington was rumored to have his own recipe, and the concoction sparked a riot at West Point in the early morning hours of Christmas 1826. Currently, the Kroger grocery chain sells nearly 3 million gallons of the drink annually.
But eggnog is such a traditional drink that it has long divided the Christmas table. when buzzfeed In 2016, I published an article titled “”.Eggnog is delicious, if you don’t think so, you’re wrong.” was paired on the same day with a message calling for drinks.Absolute garbage” In 2017, today show When we surveyed viewers about whether they liked eggnog, it was almost evenly split between those who thought it was bad and those who thought it was delicious. And these days, TikTok is full of videos of people complain Learn about the smell and taste of eggnog, and how to mix eggnog with others. grain and soda.
Even as an adult, I was never an eggnog fan. The ready-made, non-alcoholic versions my parents bought at the store weren’t bad, but they weren’t great either. I felt obligated to gulp it down in the name of Christmas, but I’m sure there were better options. Lately, eggnog has become my favorite Christmas treat. Everything changed when I discovered that a better eggnog was hiding in plain sight. It’s called Kokito. Also known as Puerto Rican eggnog, this creation replaces the drink’s traditional cream and egg base with coconut milk and condensed milk. Puerto Ricans traditionally make this cocktail during the Christmas season and hand it out to friends and neighbors. A few years ago, a Puerto Rican family moved in across the street from my parents and gave us a bottle of Coquito. The drink looked and smelled similar to eggnog, but once it touched my tongue I realized it was lighter, more flavorful, and less strange. Still, on the American mainland, cokito remains a novelty. What if the problem with eggnog is simply that many of us are drinking the wrong kind?
The fundamental lack of eggnog is, yes, eggs. Raw eggs in drinks turn the drink into an easy vector. Salmonella. This can lead to a less than merry Christmas and can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Contaminated eggnog can even be deadly if you are elderly or have a weakened immune system. In the early 1980s, five elderly people died after drinking homemade eggnog at a New Jersey nursing home.
This December, I decided to never go to the bathroom and decided to experiment with different recipes to try and understand more about the most hated Christmas drink, eggnog. Although the exact ingredients vary, the core of eggnog is eggs, cream, milk, sugar, and often booze (usually rum or whisky) whipped together. As a result, host Dan Pashman said, The Spokeful Podcasts are more like “drinkable alcoholic cakes” than traditional cocktails. (He is an eggnog lover. the joy of cooking This recipe calls for 12 egg yolks, 1 pound of confectioners’ sugar, and 2 quarts of cream. )
But making safe homemade eggnog is easier said than done. Most store-bought versions use pasteurized eggs, but I couldn’t find them at my local Trader Joe’s. Refrigerator-aged alcoholic eggnog has also been proven to kill bacteria, but my brain just couldn’t accept that leaving it out for weeks would kill the bacteria. safer To consume. I found that tempering the eggs was the easiest solution to implement, but the process of heating the cream, slowly mixing it into the bowl with the eggs, and letting it cool before serving was very tedious. It was a lot of work.
Eggs don’t just make your drink dangerous. That’s why many people don’t find eggnog appealing. The texture of the traditional version is mushy and more like melted ice cream than anything else. Chefs have tried to solve this problem by whipping the egg whites to add air, but the result is still quite thick. It also tastes like eggnog. Mr. James Briscione is a chef and “ flavor matrixtold us that most of the flavor in classic eggnog comes from the rum, as cream and eggs are “both relatively flavorless.” Those with a discerning palate may taste the caramel aroma imparted to the rum by barrel aging, but all I tasted was the booze and dairy. Commercial eggnog overcomes this flavor shortcoming with unusual amounts of sugar and spice, which is probably why multiple online commentators have compared eggnog to cough medicine.
Either way, there’s a better way to drink a creamy alcoholic beverage that actually tastes like this: something No need to rely on saccharine ready-made nog. Rather than looking for a subtle coconut scent in eggnog, Kokito brings the scent to the forefront. And the main ingredients of this drink, coconut milk and rum, go together perfectly. “The fruity esters derived from coconut and the tropical scent go very well together.” Maillard Flavors like toast and roast are especially common in rum,” Bricione said.
Kokito doesn’t have any eggnog issues at all. You don’t need eggs to splurge on this drink. This texture is achieved by incorporating sweet and sticky condensed milk. (Some recipes also call for evaporated milk and coconut cream, resulting in an even tastier drink.) And it’s surprisingly easy to make. When I made this drink earlier this month, I cut my finger trying to open a can of condensed milk and dropped the spoon into the blender in a negligent fit of pain. However, the recipe only took 5 minutes to complete. The classic eggnog recipe I made called for separating the yolks and egg whites, which would have taken three times as long even if I hadn’t made the same mistake.
It may seem strange to incorporate Caribbean cocktails into your holidays if you don’t already live in the tropics. Coconut and rum seem more suited to sunbathing by the pool than gathering around a Christmas fire (hello piña colada!). But don’t be afraid. The coconut is delicate and balanced by the bright aroma of cinnamon. If you’re craving a cocktail perfect for sweater season, Kokito is the place to go.
Christmas is a traditional holiday. Decorations, food, and familiar rituals tend to remain the same. Despite the fact that many of us already know about the dangers of Red Rider BB guns, even the movie selection doesn’t change much from year to year.Every time the bell rings, an angel gets wings”However, the actual holiday is not as fixed as it seems. More than a century ago, goose was served for Christmas dinner. Turkey is now the staple food. The candles that used to light the Christmas tree have thankfully been replaced by electric lights. And no matter what, very few people make fig pudding anymore “I wish you a Merry Christmas” Say. The core spirit of these centuries-old traditions still exists. It has just been updated for modern times. It’s time to upgrade your eggnog too.
