December is upon us—that special time of year when you and your loved ones gather around for that most cherished of traditions: drinking the heaviest, creamiest drinks possible.
It’s always perplexed me why, during the time of year when we eat the heaviest foods, we also drink beverages that are wildly rich and high in calories—a Consumer Reports review of 30 eggnogs found that an 8-ounce serving has between 170 and 210 calories. Adding an ounce of rum or brandy adds 65 calories.
Now I am not here to say this is a bad thing. I love a creamy drink—but where did these drinks come from, and why do we drink them at this time of year? Let’s cannonball into the punchbowl of cocktail history and talk about my three favorite holiday creamy tipples, so that while you ignore the calories of the drink, you can share some fun facts with your loved ones.
Eggnog
The king of creamy holiday cocktails is undoubtedly eggnog. This spiced, creamy, dreamy cocktail is honestly bizarre. How often are you excited to drink a cocktail that features two raw eggs, heavy cream and whole milk? Why in the world do we drink this?
Eggnog has murky origins, with many theories lost in the debate over the name. Its origins could come from an Old English term for strong beer, or maybe it comes from “noggin,” an outdated term for a small cup. In any case, by the 18th century, the name had stuck.
While the history of the name is questionable, the cocktail itself most likely comes from the early medieval “posset,” a warm, creamy, ale-style drink. In early America, around the 1700s, farms were stacked with chickens and cows—and most importantly, cheap rum. It makes sense that we would start mixing until something delicious came out. According to Time magazine, George Washington himself had a famous published recipe for eggnog that cooks of the era estimated featured a dozen raw eggs on top of one quart of cream, one quart of milk, one dozen tablespoons of sugar, a whole pint of brandy, a half pint of rye, a half pint of Jamaican rum and a quarter pint of sherry for fun. Good luck waking up the next day after a couple of those.
Hot buttered rum
Let’s get some hot rum, then throw in some spices and butter, and see how it tastes. If you have never had a hot buttered rum, you may gawk at the idea, but you are missing out on the velvety tiki staple holiday drink.
This drink, like most hot cocktails, started as a treatment for a sore throat and grew into the drink we know today, thanks in part to the godfather of tiki: Trader Vic. In 1946, the modern idea of the hot buttered rum was published in Trader Vic’s Book of Food and Drink, where he advised creating a base that could be added to hot water and rum. With three types of sugar totaling 3 1/2 pounds, a pound and a half of butter, a cup of vanilla ice cream and spices, the base for a hot buttered rum is almost cake-batter in texture. Add a spoonful of the spicy, creamy mix to hot water and rum, and you’ve got yourself a tropical holiday.
Coquito
I love Puerto Rico. Every time I visit, my heart grows four sizes, so much so that on a trip there, I decided it was time to marry my wife. The culture and the people fill the island with a kind of hospitality and joy that is infectious. On top of being my favorite place, Puerto Rico is also home to two of my favorite drinks: the piña colada and its holiday cousin, coquito.
Coquito’s base is a tapestry of cultures that make up Puerto Rico’s history. The drink resembles the possets from which eggnog came, which were popular with the island’s Spanish colonizers. The name coquito translates to “little coconut”; coconuts were initially introduced to the island with enslaved Africans who were brought to work the sugar plantations. The drink took shape in the ’50s after the introduction of evaporated and condensed milk to the island. The key ingredient, Coco Lopez cream of coconut, was invented in Puerto Rico and is the main ingredient in a piña colada.
There is no official recipe for coquito, mainly because every family makes it differently; however, most recipes feature one can of Coco Lopez, one can of evaporated milk, one can of condensed milk, one can of coconut milk, and a blend of spices mixed into two cups (or more) of rum. The key to a great coquito is to make a lot of it to share with everyone you know—but be sure to let it rest in the fridge for at least two nights.