Liquid Sweater Season—Tom & Jerrys and Homemade Eggnog
Photos by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty
The winter holidays are filled with traditions—from decorations to food—that are expected and anticipated every year. Over time, and perhaps with help from Prohibition and 20th-century convenience, classic cocktail recipes have taken a back seat to wine as the beverage of choice at the holidays. Once upon a time, punches—both hot and cold—were the liquid centerpieces of the season. But lately, there has been a renewed interest in these big-batch beverages that go beyond mulled wine or champagne punch toward heartier drinks. One trend that’s been reborn in the last decade or so is egg-based punch bowl recipes. Two standout favorites are the Tom & Jerry and homemade eggnog.
The Tom & Jerry cocktail rose off the printed pages of old bar books and into reality for me at No. 9 Park in Boston, where the drink was always served starting on the first significant snowfall of the year. That tradition began when John Gertsen, who ran the bar program at No. 9 and later opened Drink, read that author and bar legend Dale DeGroff had been making Tom & Jerrys in New York.
Once Gertsen spotted the Tom & Jerry bowl-and-cup sets at Bemelmans Bar in Manhattan (circa 2002, when Audrey Saunders was running the show), his commitment to collecting his own sets began. John described how he “just wanted to be sure to have something extra for guests who braved the snow and made the trek to see us.” By 2009, Gertsen had brought his ornate bowls and cups to Drink and we were introduced to the magic of what he referred to as the “liquid internal sweater” one snowy winter’s eve, and I have been enchanted ever since. While cocktail lore ties the concoction to the first cocktail book written by author Jerry Thomas in 1876, historians have found the earliest written mention of the drink in 1827 near Boston via the Salem Gazette, quite a few years before the supposed namesake was born.
While packaged and pasteurized Tom & Jerry mix is available, there is no substitute for this slightly labor- intensive batter that gets combined with hot milk and spirits (and yes, I have had luck with non dairy milks like soy and oat, and water will work in a pinch). The batter is a combination of stiffly beaten egg whites and whisked egg yolks thickened with sugar, folded together and combined with spices and just a touch of spirit. Once the batter is made, assembling the drink with liquor and preheated milk is relatively easy. Traditionally, Tom & Jerrys were made with brandy and/ or rum, and assembling them to order allows for customizing the drink to a guest’s tastes. I have successfully experimented with spirits from whiskey to gin, as well as including liqueurs like crème de cacao and amaro into the mix. With a hot mug of Tom & Jerry in hand, the blustery cold Massachusetts winters do not seem as daunting; this warm drink will ease your guests into the warmth and camaraderie of the folks gathered around them.
Egg- and dairy-based drinks can still be satisfying in cold weather even when the beverage itself is not heated. Eggnog is a wonderful example of this, and again, store-bought versions cannot compare to one made with care, craftsmanship and wholesome ingredients. Jerry Thomas described eggnog to be “a beverage of American origin, but it has a popularity that is cosmopolitan.” References to eggnog appear in the late 1780s in the Northeast, perhaps deriving from the British posset, and it became rather popular in New England. Soon, this combination of eggs (whole or sometimes just yolks), sugar, milk (and later the addition of cream) and spirits became synonymous with the winter holidays. Unlike Tom & Jerrys, which need to be assembled to order even after the batter is made, eggnog can be prepared in advance and simply ladled out. In fact, preparing eggnog ahead of time and letting it age makes for a more mellow concoction as the egg and dairy proteins and fats have time to interact more thoroughly with the alcohol. With the alcohol at a proper percentage (15–20%), aging eggnog for extended periods of time in the refrigerator is perfectly safe. At Loyal Nine in Cambridge, we began our eggnog batches prior to Labor Day, and the mollifying effects were notable towards the end of the first week and only got smoother and rounder with the passing days. Once all the difficult work was done, the jug or jar only needed a quick shake before being poured into a punch cup and garnished with freshly grated nutmeg. Like the Tom & Jerry, there is leeway in your choice of spirits, with whiskey, rum, brandy (and fortified wines like sherry) factoring into vintage recipes, and modern ones taking some interesting turns with adventurous ingredients, like mezcal and bitter-sweet liqueurs.
Both the Tom & Jerry and eggnog harken back to early days when seasonal ingredients available to families would be more commonly derived from livestock than from tree or garden. Plus, the richness of eggs and dairy makes an appropriate match for what the body craves as winter sets in, fortified with plenty of spirits to make family and social gatherings a touch less stressful. So this season, whether you make a large batch or scale these recipes down to a few servings, treat yourself and your guests to these classic delights!
Homemade Eggnog
Eggnog is a delightful large-format holiday party drink that is ready to be ladled out to guests as they arrive or throughout an evening, especially nice in lieu of dessert. A garnish of freshly grated nutmeg over the cup is a lovely touch to add complementary aromas to each serving. The following recipe is based on the one—perhaps falsely—attributed to George Washington (published well after his death) and is quite the crowd pleaser. I cannot tell a lie: I have enjoyed this in the morning, with brunch.
Makes around 28 (4-ounce) servings
12 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
6 ounces sugar
16 ounces bourbon
16 ounces cognac
32 ounces heavy cream
32 ounces milk (whole or at least 2%)
Separate the egg whites and yolks. Beat the egg yolks until thin and then gradually whisk in the sugar until dissolved. Slowly add the spirits to the yolk-sugar mix while whisking. Add the milk and cream and whisk in. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the yolk-dairy-sugar-spirits mixture until well combined. Decant into bottles or a large pitcher and place in the refrigerator until chilled; preparing this a day or two before will work well.
To serve, use a punch bowl if you like and ladle approximately 4 ounces eggnog into each punch cup and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Note: With regular 40% ABV spirits, the final product has an alcohol content of around 11%, which makes the result around the strength of wine. If you want to age this eggnog in the refrigerator for weeks or months before serving, add half of the cream and milk during preparation to elevate the ABV over 15% during the aging process, and then add the other half of the cream and milk before serving.
Tom & Jerrys
A bowl of Tom & Jerry batter prepared in advance is a great way to treat guests to a two-centuries-old tradition here in Massachusetts. This hot libation has the richness of eggs and dairy to balance the potency of the alcohol inside, but since it’s made with milk and not cream, it’s lighter than eggnog. Your choice of spirits can be adapted to personal taste.
Makes around 18 (8-ounce) mugs
To make the batter:
12 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
16 ounces sugar
2 ounces aged rum (can be omitted to make a nonalcoholic version)
½ teaspoon ground clove
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
To make the cocktail:
2 ounces prepared batter
2 ounces spirits (aged rum, cognac or bourbon, or a combination)
4 ounces hot milk
ground nutmeg, for garnish
Separate the egg whites and yolks. Beat the egg yolks until thin and then gradually whisk in the sugar until dissolved. Add the spices and whisk again. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, and then fold into the yolk mixture until well combined.
For each serving, ladle in 2 ounces batter into a mug (preferably one preheated with boiling water), add 2 ounces spirits (replace with 2 ounces more hot milk for a nonalcoholic version) and top with 4 ounces hot milk (either dairy or plant-based milk will work; water will do in a pinch but will not yield as rich of a result). Give a quick stir and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
NOTE: The spirit mix can be as simple as 2 ounces aged rum, bourbon or cognac for each serving. Or try blended combinations of aged rum and cognac, rum and whiskey or bourbon and cognac; use 1 ounce of each liquor. The batter recipe can be scaled up or down for larger gatherings or for more intimate settings.
This story appeared in the Winter 2023 issue.
