Cheers to those who look forward my recipe for Bert’s Eggnog each year!
I’m a little like Susan Stamberg who annually recites her cranberry relish recipe on NPR and, despite its ghastly Pepto-Bismol coloring, swears it’s delicious. (I’ve had it and beg to differ! I promise I won’t do you that way.)
Not for the Feint of Heart
Anyhoo . . . I PROMISE my eggnog recipe is the nectar of the gods and goddesses.
I have converted many a declared eggnog-hater with this sweet concoction. Just read some of the comments from over the years. (There are even more on social media.)
Still, loaded with the good stuff, it’s not for the feint of heart.
My brother called a few years back to say that he had been wondering if he could find our Bert’s Eggnog recipe online. Of course, this blog post was the first thing that came up!
He had no idea I had been sharing this treasure with my readers for all of these years.
My brother-in-law used to call every year to ask where he can find the eggnog recipe. Every year, we gave him this blog URL. I think he’s figured it out now.
Do Not Put Sugar on the Rim
I share the top photo reluctantly. I have never been able to get a great photo of my eggnog because we don’t use fancy cups with What is that? Sugar on the rim? Don’t do that. I can’t believe it’s even a thing.
We use mugs like my IRL photo here because our eggnog is barely pourable. It’s thick, almost like softened ice cream.
If yours pours too easily, put it back in the freezer to thicken it up, as the recipe says.
And, lest you try to fool yourself by focusing on the health “benefits” of the nog, I suppose I should do the responsible thing and share this note of caution with you in advance. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
The Story of Bert's Eggnog
This recipe is for neither the faint of heart nor those who aren’t willing to make the effort. It’s a lot of work, but you’ll be rewarded in the end. Even people who think they don’t like eggnog fall in love with this sinfully delicious concoction.
My mother first made Bert’s Eggnog in 1959, the year she and Dad were married. But my Uncle Charlie had been making it for years.
No one knows who Bert is! Mom looked up the original recipe in Aunt Susan’s How-To Cookbook (1951) and it doesn’t give a clue.
This recipe has been a part of my Christmases for at least 35 years. We started making it in Crested Butte, Colorado and always on Christmas Eve.
After the batch was whipped up, we put it out in the snow overnight. The icy snow makes the nog thicken and the flavors are just that much better in the morning. If you don’t have snow or cold weather, I might suggest a few hours in the freezer.
Our fingers are crossed for a snow bank for this year’s batch.
Christmas morning just isn’t Christmas without Bert’s Eggnog. It’s a nice excuse for an afternoon nap, too!
If You Make This Recipe
Are you a part of the Bert’s Eggnog fan club? Have you made this recipe since I first posted it in 2005?
Please leave your name and your story in a comment.
Say a word of gratitude to Bert—whoever she/he is.
Download the Recipe for Bert’s Eggnog Here
No opt-in required. It includes the story of how it came to be in my life and how we imbibe
First published December 21, 2012. Updated with original comments intact.
32 thoughts on “My Famous Eggnog Recipe”
I’ll testify!
I used to enjoy the eggnog that can be purchased in the grocery store. But after using your recipe, Alyson, there’s no going back!
It is so elegant and delicious that even my husband (who doesn’t like eggnog at all!) has been converted.
We imbibed on Christmas eve around the twinkling lights of the tree, and then the next morning as we opened presents. (One batch is a lot for two people!)
Thanks for giving us a wonderful new holiday tradition!
liza
Liza: I love hearing that! I’ve witnessed many a conversion myself.
There is simply no comparison to the eggnog in a carton.
Dear Alyson,
Thanks for the recipe. God has blessed our county with a dairy farm that makes eggnog for us. In glass bottles! With yellow caps.
Though I typically have to beat off ideas of making things and doing things that arrive in the inboxes of my mind and glowing rectangle, I take heart that in the case of eggnog. I can go to my corner store, give Tracey a few dollars and come home smiling with a bottle of creamy bliss!
I raise my glass to you!!
Merry Christmas!
Love,
Susan
Hmmm . . . do you spike it?
Of course!!
I can attest to the conversion properties of this recipe! I never like eggnog until I tries this recipe. It has been our tradition for the past 4 years!!!! Thanks, Alyson and happy holidays to you and your familyl
Peggi: Yay! So happy to hear that!
And it was very brave of you to try it even when you said you didn’t like it.
You got my attention. I love the fact that it contains more bourbon than rum. Don’t get me wrong. I love rum. However, I prefer the stronger tast of bourbon in my eggnog. I’m definitely going to give it a try.
Enjoy, Weldon!
Wow! That is great to get the recipe again. (I don’t think my Dad used a recipe) My Dad made this for years. He just poured in the booze till he sensed I was enough. I think this is certainly more than store bought “Christmas milk”.
Thanks again.
Jo: I hope you make some and enjoy the memories of your dad.
Because my nephew is allergic to whey I had to modify the recipe to exclude actual milk. Instead, I used SoDelicious coconut cream and their coconut milk and it came out GREAT! Except too many people in the family don’t like the alcoholic flavor of so much bourbon so I had to cut way down on that, too. It was still mighty tasty, though! This year I will probably batches with less and more of the alcohol. I wonder how old whiskey would be instead of bourbon.
I love SoDelicious. I thin this with almond milk, but I do use the whipped cream.
SoDelicious has a coconut milk creamer that is thick and rich and delicious, indeed, and it can be whipped (though it won’t always hold very long, if I recall correctly).
Ok, this year I ran out of patience with whipping the Coconut milk creamer. It got foamy but not thick and stiff. Still, because one of the family has a whey allergy, milk and cream are no go. This year I also did not have any white sugar on hand. So I used florida crystal brown sugar. YUM! And lots of nutmeg. somehow, the nog was thick and rich and delicious.
Ok, I think I’ve officially totally changed the recipe.
Did you do something besides the coconut creamer?
Yes, you have a totally different recipe!
No, Alyson, just the creamer, egg whites (whipped to stiff formation), and the egg yolk mixture. On the other hand, it didn’t need thinning with the regular coconut milk. I might try whipping in a blender with ice cubes next attempt.
Alyson, Thanks to you this recipe has become my tradition over the past few years as well! It is killer and as you say NOT for the faint of heart! 🙂 Can I have permission to share this recipe on my my blogs? Thanks so much!!
Deborah: I love hearing that you have enjoyed this recipe and made it a tradition. Share away!
Alyson,
Just posted a pic on your Facebook page – this is my first year making Bert’s eggnog – but not the last, I can assure you. Couldn’t wait for Christmas Eve to try it – used the Holiday basketball tournament in Hawaii as an excuse to enjoy it. Best eggnog ever — and my husband is in complete agreement!
Yay! I love seeing MY eggnog in YOUR mug! Thanks, Terry.
And it was so good – I made another batch for Christmas Eve! No snow, so using the freezer! This is obviously the first year of a new annual tradition!
Alyson I made a batch and just shared with my hubby. I added whipped cream on top of my glass with a tiny sprinkle of nutmeg. I used Brandy and Rum….yum yum yum! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Okay, Cindy, I have to say that whipped cream on top sounds a little over the top for me, but I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I had to tell you that I forwarded your recipe to my husband, the cook in my family (I’m soooo lucky); he made it; we had a party; they came; they loved it. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I’m sure it will be a new tradition for us. Happy New Year!
Lynne: I am delighted to hear that! I love spreading holiday cheer.
Your recipe for eggnog was awesome. Thank you so very much for sharing it. Unfortunately, I had to drink to entire batch myself. Oh, the sacrifices one must make for the holidays.
Weldon: I’m so happy you enjoyed it! And thrilled that you indulged just for yourself. Happy New Year!
Dearest Alyson and Hubby,
Nancy made your eggnog! Wow! We drank a 1/2 mix …gone in one evening! So delicious we will be celebrating again soon as the next batch is lovingly created.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours,
Raymond and Nancy Hunter
sculpatora.fineartstudioonline.com
Raymond D. Hunter, Facebook has my latest
video on the “Red Hawk”
Yay! So happy that you like it, Raymond and Nancy. And good to drink it at night. I’ll bet you slept well after that.
I found my original 2012 and 2013 comments! I still LOVE this recipe, but because of my mysterious kidney disease I can’t have egg nogs at all any more. Especially not the alcohol. 🙁
But perhaps I can go back to the original recipe and devise something from there. If I make it just for myself (small batch, obviously) I can use milk and cream. Yay!
Thank you very much for continuing to share this recipe!
May I include it in my newsletter (with attribution and a link to this blog post, of course!)?