When my sister and I were little, my parents had a lot of parties. They owned a huge, very special, children-shall-not-touch ceramic punchbowl, with 50 matching little cups, made for them by a famous artist. It only came out for important parties with many attendees and was usually the drink buffet centerpiece, full of my mother's special punch. I was too little to drink it because of the alcohol so don't remember the exact ingredients but I do remember that it was always topped off with a bottle of Champagne and that my mother would make a special ice ring for it with strawberries in the center.
Once a year the punchbowl would also make an additional appearance at my parents' holiday party. This was even more special because my mother would make vats of eggnog, which I loved. Before it was spiked generously with Bourbon for the adults, I would get to have one glass and it was wonderful. I would sip it and make it last as long as I could. When I was 16 or 17, I graduated to the grown-up version and - trust me - it was even better.
And now, when I host a holiday party, I make the special eggnog WITHOUT DEVIATING AN IOTA FROM MY MOTHER'S ORIGINAL RECIPE (those of you who read this blog regularly know that I find that very difficult to do). It still tastes delicious even though I serve it in a huge glass pitcher. The punchbowl resides with my dad.
This recipe can also be frozen in an ice cream maker, or (as I do) in a large metal bowl and beaten every 30 minutes for several hours to keep the consistency smooth, for the best holiday ice cream. If you decide to try that, do not add the Bourbon to the mixture as it will not freeze. Spoon the Bourbon over the ice cream prior to serving.
This recipe makes 40 servings, in small punch cups
12 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 pint cream
1 cup Bourbon (or rum, or whiskey)
1 quart milk
Nutmeg to taste
Beat the egg yolks until well combined in the largest bowl you own.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add the sugar and the salt gradually to the mixture.
In yet another bowl, beat the cream until stiff.
Fold the cream gently into the egg yolks. One combined, gently add the egg white mixture and fold in as well.
Add the alcohol and the milk and stir gently to combine.
Sprinkle with nutmeg and enjoy responsibly - both from an alcoholic and calorific perspective!
My mother's notes say that she finds the concoction a bit thick so one should have extra milk to hand to get it to the consistency one would like. For ice cream making purposes leave as is.