By Ari Megalis and Christina Stradone
’Tis the season for gathering with loved ones, exchanging gifts with family and friends, and, of course, eating, drinking and being merry.
When we think of holiday cocktails, our attention turns to eggnog. This holiday drink — with its rich, creamy base of milk, eggs and alcohol — has been a winter classic through the years.
Various forms of eggnog have been around since medieval European days. The rum-based version popular today dates to colonial America, when rum from the Caribbean was less expensive than brandy or sherry shipped from England.
Every year around the holidays, the staff at Maplewood Brewery & Distillery prepares batches of this recipe in 1-liter bottles. They are for sale exclusively at the Maplewood Lounge at 2717 N. Maplewood Ave. in Chicago. Because eggnog contains raw eggs, be sure to keep eggnog refrigerated and use within three weeks.
To enjoy eggnog with a festive flair, build a fire in your fireplace, gather with your favorite DePaul friends, and raise a toast to a happy holiday and a happy new year.
MAPLEWOOD EGGNOG
Makes about 3 quarts, or 24 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 12.5 ounces whole milk
- 9 large eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 25.5 ounces heavy cream
- 17 ounces white rum
- 16 ounces golden ale, such as Maplewood Krispie Cakes or Grahammie Cakes Pastry Ale
- Cinnamon sticks, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
- Combine milk, eggs, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Mix with an immersion blender, mixer or whisk until all the sugar is dissolved. (If you like a thicker nog, separate egg yolks from egg whites. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl to form peaks, then stir yolks and whites into the rest of the mixture.)
- Add cream, rum and beer and continue to mix to bring everything together and achieve desired frothiness.
- Refrigerate. When ready to serve, ladle into glasses. Garnish each glass with a dash of ground nutmeg and/or a cinnamon stick.
Maplewood Brewery & Distillery, maplewoodbrew.com, has been producing finely crafted beer and spirits since 2014. The company is home to many DePaul alumni, including head distiller and co-founder Ari Megalis (BUS ’05, MBA ’09), CFO and co-founder Paul Megalis (BUS ’09), founding brewer and CEO Adam Cieslak (JD ’11), co-founder Kevin Holl (CDM ’04) and marketing associate Christina Stradone (CDM ’11).
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