Our holiday office party is tonight. And that means a big pot-luck dinner, a white elephant exchange full of cheesy delights, and apparently –this year– a bonfire beneath a backyard zip-line. Katie will be reporting live from the scene, so you can virtually join us for all the festivities!

As the sign-up sheet circulated, I was tempted to cop out with my traditional dish of  sausage-cheese balls…but then I decided they scream Super-Bowl a little more than Holly Jolly Christmas and that it might be time to expand my party-food repertoire. What could be more holiday-esque (or a better excuse to drink bourbon) than egg nog?

Here’s a wrap-up of the experience, and the complete recipe thanks to Bill Smith’s Seasoned in the South: Recipes from Crook’s Corner and from Home.

Egg Nog

Serves 8-12

6 large eggs, separated

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups whiskey, either bourbon or half bourbon and half rum

6 cups heavy cream

Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish (*my note: I scoured the grocery stores and couldn’t find this anywhere, so had to go with the far-less-gourmet ground variety from the spice aisle. )

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until the mixture is pale, thick, and golden. Slowly and gently stir in the whiskey.

Beat the cream in a chilled bowl with an electric mix to stiff peaks. (*my note: Six cups of whipped cream yields quite a lot of volume, so I suggest splitting the amount into two separate medium mixing bowls, to give yourself enough space for the cream to fluff up.) Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside as well.

Gently fold the cream and then the egg whites into the egg yolks with a spatula and chill until very cold. Serve in punch cups with a dusting of fresh nutmeg on top. Sit down. I swear, this is the last instruction.

The finished product is obviously quite rich and it has a pretty milkshake-like consistency. If you prefer, you may thin it out by stirring in a bit of skim milk. I felt like I could have filled a whole kiddie pool with this recipe…but it ended up just being two pitchers’ worth. Sure hope Algonkians likes egg nog!

-christina