14 eggnog cocktail recipes from some of Vancouver's top bartenders

Dec 2 2016, 5:21 am

The holiday season brings tons of exciting treats with it, and we think one of the best treats of all is eggnog.

This rich, sweetened dairy-based beverage is traditionally served chilled and sprinkled with fresh nutmeg. For the 2016 Christmas season bartenders and chefs across Vancouver have put their unique spin on this classic festive cocktail, and we want to try them all.

Here are 14 must-try eggnog recipes from some of Vancouver’s top bartenders. Try them out at home for a cozy evening in or a festive gathering, or head to their establishments to have one made for you.

1. Homemade Eggnog

Justin Taylor, The Cascade Room

Photo courtesy of The Cascade Room

Photo courtesy of The Cascade Room.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 cup of granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of ground allspice
  • 12 oz bourbon or rum
  • 3 cups of whole milk
  • 1.5 cups of heavy cream
  • 2 whole nutmegs (for garnish)

Method

You will need a blender or stand mixer with speed settings to accomplish this to perfection.

Crack eggs into a bowl and have all your ingredients measured and ready to use in order listed.

Turn your blender on its lowest speed and add the eggs.

Let the eggs blend for 20 seconds and slowly pour in the sugar and allspice.

Slowly increase the speed of the blender to medium and slowly add the bourbon followed by the milk and cream.

Allow Eggnog to blend for about 1 minute on medium and then refrigerate immediately in an air tight container.

When ready to serve, stir the mixture briefly and pour into your favourite holiday glass or mug and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Keep refrigerated and use within 1 week.

Tip: Taylor recommends mixing up the recipe a few days in advance to let the flavours develop.

2. Chef Erik’s Homemade Eggnog & Rum

Chef Erik, The Flying Pig and WildTale

Photo courtesy of WildTale

Photo courtesy of The Flying Pig and WildTale.

This eggnog will be available until December 23rd at WildTale and all of The Flying Pig’s locations.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups of milk
  • 5 pieces of cloves
  • 2.5 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
  • 16 egg yolks
  • 1.5 cups of sugar
  • 2 cups of half and half
  • 2 cups of heavy cream

Method

Combine milk, cream, half and half, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla extract and slowly bring the mixture to a low boil, all on low heat.

In a large bowl whisk the sugar and egg yolks until fluffy.

Temper (slowly pour) the hot liquid into the yolk and sugar mixture.

Pour the liquid into a pot and cook on very low heat stirring constantly with a spatula.

Cook until desired thickness, do not boil.

Strain and cool.

Remember: when it cools the liquid will get thicker; should cool overnight.

Add dark spiced rum and serve with cinnamon stick.

3. Cog Nog

Lauren Mote, YEW seafood + bar at The Four Seasons

Photo courtesy of YEW seafood + bar

Photo courtesy of YEW seafood + bar.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz Courvoisier VS Cognac
  • 2 oz 35% cream
  • 1 oz Darjeeling Tea Syrup*
  • 1 dashes Bittered Sling Condesa Bitters
  • 1 dashes Bittered Sling Palermo Bitters
  • 1 whole egg

Method

Add all ingredients to a shaker, and viciously dry shake without ice to emulsify the egg.

Add ice and shake hard.

Double strain into a moose mug, top with freshly grated nutmeg.

*Darjeeling Syrup – yield 1L

  • 20g Darjeeling Tea
  • 600g white sugar
  • 600ml water

Add the tea to 140F water, and allow tea to steep for 15 minutes.

Strain out the tea, and add the sugar, stir until dissolved.

Store in food-safe, clean, dated bottles in the fridge for up to 7 days.

4. Black Barrel Back Flip

Grant Sceney, Lobby Lounge Raw Bar at The Fairmount Pacific Rim

Photo courtesy of Fairmont Pacific Rim

Photo courtesy of Fairmont Pacific Rim.

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients

  • ¾ oz (23ml) Remy VSOP
  • ¾ oz (23ml) Mt Gay Black Barrel
  • ¾ oz (23ml) Sweet Vermouth
  • ½ oz (15ml) Root Beer Syrup
  • 3 Dash Angostura Bitters
  • 1 whole egg
  • Garnish: grated cinnamon

Method

Measure spirits and syrup into a mixing tin.

Add ice, and shake vigorously.

Strain back into a tin then light dry shake.

Strain and garnish.

5. Hour Glass

J-S Dupuis, Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar

Photo courtesy of Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar.

Ingredients

  • 1 oz Suntory Whiskey Toki
  • 1 oz Ginger of the Indies
  • 2 oz almond milk
  • 0.75 oz Lapsang Souchong Syrup
  • 3 dashes chocolate bitters
  • egg white

Method

Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake.

Double strain into an old-fashioned glass.

Add ice.

Garnish with grated tonka bean.

6. Slaughternog

Katie Ingram, L’Abattoir

Photo: Katie Ingram

Photo courtesy of L’Abattoir.

Ingredients

  • 45 ml Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon
  • 15 ml Sons of Vancouver Amaretto
  • 15 ml lemon juice
  • 15 ml orange juice
  • 20 ml honey water (1 part honey to 1 part water)
  • 15 ml cream
  • 2 dashes Bittered Sling Malagasy Chocolate Bitters
  • 1 whole egg

Method

Combine all ingredients in a cocktails shaker along with one ice cube.

Dry shake vigorously for 10 seconds.

Add more ice and shake for an additional 10 seconds.

Double strain to a large coupe glass.

Garnish with grated nutmeg or tonka bean.

7. Burnley Miner Flip

Marc Slingsby-Jones, Café Medina

Photo: Jones Burnely-Miner

Photo courtesy of Café Medina

Ingredients:

  • ¾ oz Benedictine
  • 1 oz St Remy Brandy
  • **Alternatively, you can use 1 1/2 oz of B+B, a conveniently premixed spirit consisting of both Brandy and Benedictine
  • ¼ Grand Marnier
  • ¾ oz coconut milk
  • 1 dash Bittered Sling Malagasy Chocolate Bitters
  • 1 whole egg
  • ice

Method

Add Egg, Brandy, Benedictine (or B+B), Grand Marnier, Coconut Milk and Chocolate Bitters to your cocktail shaker.

Whisk items using a fork or small whisk.

Add ice to the shaker and shake hard until your mixture is creamy and frothy.

Strain mixture into a coup glass.

Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and orange peel.

Remember to twist your orange peel over your drink before serving to extract the oils and give your drink a great aroma.

8. Angel’s Crest

Dave Warren, The Salted Vine Kitchen + Bar

Photo: Amy Ho

Photo: Amy Ho.

Ingredients

  • ¾ oz Gillespie’s chili chocolate elixir
  • ¾ oz Grand Marnier
  • ¾ oz dark creme de cacao
  • 2 oz eggnog
  • dark chocolate
  • nutmeg
  • candied orange
Method
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker.
Add ice and shake for 15 seconds.
Double strain into a coupe glass.
Garnish with fresh grated nutmeg and dark chocolate.
Place a half candied orange on edge of the glass before serving.

9. Little Lebowski

Kaitlyn Stewart, Royal Dinette

Photo: Kaitlyn Stewart

Photo: Fred Fung.

Ingredients

  • *2 oz house-made eggnog (see recipe below)
  • 1 oz Absolut Vodka
  • ½ oz Tia Maria
  • ¼ oz Galliano Liqueur
  • 1 oz espresso
  • 9 drops of Chocolate Bitters (Stewart recommends Mrs. Better’s Bitters)

Method

Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin.

Add ice and shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds.

Fine strain into a mini milk bottle, chilled coupe or rocks glass.

Garnish with a pinch of cocoa nibs and serve with a side of chocolate chip cookies.

*Making the eggnog:

  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 vanilla bean pod
  • 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 2/3 cup of granulated sugar

Method

In a sauce pan, combine milk, cream, cinnamon, vanilla bean and nutmeg.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously.

Remove from heat and steep for 20-30 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until combined.

Slowly whisk in the steeped milk until combined and smooth.

Bottle and refrigerate.

10. Bel Café Eggnog

Chef David Hawksworth, Bel Café

A photo posted by @belcafeyvr on

Makes 16 servings

Ingredients

  • 7 cups of milk
  • 1 cup of cream
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1.5 tsp of cinnamon
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 25 grams of vanilla puree
  • 3⁄4 cup of sugar

Method

Make Eggnog the night before you want to enjoy it.

Blend all ingredients together.

Refrigerate and serve.

11. Nightingale Eggnog

Photo courtesy of Nightingale

Photo courtesy of Nightingale

Rhett Williams, Nightingale

Makes 18 to 24 servings

Part 1 Ingredients

  • 3 parts bourbon
  • 3 parts Jamaican rum
  • 1 part Pedro Ximinez sherry
  • vanilla beans, halved length wise
  • cloves
  • allspice berries
  • orange peel
  • cinnamon sticks

Method

Toast the vanilla beans, cloves, all spice berries, orange peel and cinnamon sticks in the oven for 20 minutes and crush them with a mortar.

Mix the liquors together and infuse with the spice mixture and leave for 24 hours.

Strain the spices from the liquor with a fine strainer.

Part 2 Ingredients

  • 2 L of cream
  • 1 vanilla bean, halved length-wise
  • 10 cloves
  • 20 allspice berries
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Method

Warm the cream to a steam (not boil) in a large pot.

Add vanilla bean, cloves, allspice berries and a cinnamon stick and remove from heat.

Once cool, put in large container and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Strain the spices with a fine strainer.

Part 3 Ingredients

  • 12 eggs until frothy
  • 1 L of turbinado simple syrup

Method

Blend the 12 eggs until frothy with blender or egg beater.

Once blended to a froth, add turbinado syrup and blend at a low speed.

Add the spiced cream mixture and continue blending at a low speed until everything is incorporated.

To serve, combine 2 oz of spiced cream mixture with 2 oz of spiced liquor mixture over ice and shake, then double strain into a small rocks glass.

Top with freshly ground nutmeg and enjoy.

12. Little Helper

Robyn Gray, Reflections at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia 

Photo courtesy of Reflections.

Photo courtesy of Reflections.

Ingredients

  • 30 ml Mount Gay Rum
  • 30 ml LBV Port
  • house made eggnog

Method

Build in an old fashioned glass with cubed ice.

Garnish nutmeg dust.

Serve in Old Fashioned Glass.

13. New Orleans Style Eggnog

Tiffany Davis, Market by Jean-Georges

Photo courtesy of Market by Jean-Georges

Photo courtesy of Market by Jean-Georges

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 oz Southern Comfort
  • 3/4 oz Amarula
  • 2 oz Eggnog
  • four drops Creole bitters
  • 1 dash bourbon vanilla extract
  • grated nutmeg
  • lemon zest
  • Star Anise

Method

Fill mixing glass with ice.

Add Southern Comfort, Amarula, eggnog, Creole bitters, and vanilla extract. Stir.

Strain in chilled coupe glass.

Grate lemon and nutmeg over cocktail. Garnish with star anise. 

14. East Van Nog

Brad Miller, Red Wagon Cafe

Photo courtesy of Red Wagon Cafe

Photo courtesy of Red Wagon Cafe

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 cups homogenized milk 
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 12 egg yolks 
  • Maker’s Mark Bourbon (optional)

Ingredients for Garnish

  • whipping cream 
  • dark chocolate

Method

Steep cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla in milk for 20 mins on medium-high heat.

Strain into a bowl and discard cloves. In a separate bowl combine sugar with egg yolks tempering with approximately 1 cup of the hot milk mixture.

Once tempered add the egg mixture to the remaining milk mixture.

Serve warm or chilled.

Spike with 2 oz of Maker’s Mark Bourbon (optional) per serving, stir and garnish with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. 

See also

Hanna McLeanHanna McLean

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