Nogs and Toddys

Holiday Nog

I like my holiday nog "to taste." That means you are going "to taste" the dooky. The ratio I prefer is about 1 oz brandy to 4 oz of nog.

A major debate every time I mix a nog is, "rum or brandy?" And the debate has been settled via thorough experimentation with the answer "both." You'd think that a hearty dark rum like Gosling's (the ultimate sipping rum) would be ideal for mixing in a rich drink like nog, but it doesn't work out as well as others. For some reason a lighter rum seems better. For brandy, I prefer Spanish brandy, but the nazis at the liquor control board have seen fit to import Mexican instead. So, El Presidente brandy works just fine. However, I recently discovered a great product called Laird's Apple Jack, which is apple brandy. It imparts just a hint of fruitiness to the drink.

I read somewhere that the British used to add wine to their nog, which at first sounded rather disgusting, but if brandy works, and brandy is simply fortified wine, then why not? I found that floating a bit of wine on the top of the nog imparts a slight bouquet that offsets the nog's heaviness.

8 oz Egg Nog
1 oz Mount Gay Silver Eclipse (white rum)
1 oz Laird's Apple Jack (apple brandy)
1/4 oz (teaspoon) red wine or port

Pour the Egg Nog into a large glass (pint glass works well) and stir in measures of rum and brandy with a fork. Stirring in prevents curdling the nog. Pour mixture into two goblets or cups. Use a teaspoon to float the wine on top of each glass, then stir just the surface with the tines of a fork, to make a swirl pattern with the wine. Makes two small cups of 5 oz each.


Irish Toddy

This is the traditional toddy I mix for Nadine when she's sick. Here's the Rx:

1 oz Jameson's Irish Whiskey
1 heaping tablespoon of sugar
1/2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
8 oz boiling water

Pour the sugar and lemon juice into a mug, and stir into a slurry. Add boiling hot water to this and stir, then add the Jameson's last.