Perfecting the Nog. It is a most noble pursuit.

This afternoon we decorated the Christmas tree. Once the sweary part of getting the damn thing straight up and down was done we celebrated with some eggnog. My daughter had a sip and was done with it. My son drank his and his sister’s as well. I couldn’t help but play with mine.

It was a cheap carton of eggnog from the corner store that my son begged me to buy. I had had it in my mind that I would make it the nog from scratch this year but I hadn’t been able to wake up my inner Martha Stewart. A bit of customization was in order.

The dregs of my homemade vanilla extract and some Bulleit bourbon started off the adult version of the chicken milk (the direct translation of ‘lait de poule’ is so much more fun to say dontcha think?). A drop of star anise extract and the solitary unbroken seed pod for garnish make it a wee bit more Christmassy. A splash of Kahlua adds a layer of sweetness. A few vintage glasses later some cinnamon was swirled on but by the time the nog made it to the mug the seed pod looked more like a drowned wasp.

So many delicious versions along the way. My next step in perfecting the nog will be a from scratch version with some of those new flavours built in. Happy holiday mixing!