If you’ve experienced a few holiday seasons, you’ve probably experienced those awkward family or workplace gatherings.  No one really has too much to say to the family members that only come around once a year.  Similarly, who really has anything they care to discuss with people from the office outside of work-related issues?  Eggnog is the liquor gods’ answer to all of your holiday awkwardness.  Being the helpful folks we are here at BoozeBasher, we decided to help you out this holiday season by trying a few different recipies for you.  We were surprised by how many different ways there were to prepare this traditional holiday beverage, so we decided to pick three interesting, yet very different recipies from DrinksMixer.com.  Here are the basic ingredients used:

Steps:
-Separate the eggs (yolk and white) and set the whites aside.
-Mix the yolks well, gradually adding the cream, milk, and sugar.
-Whip the egg whites really well until “soft peaks” form.
-Fold the white into the rest…I think we may have done this part backwards. That’s what happens when three buzzed men try to follow directions.
-Gradually add the alcohol.
-Either add nutmeg right away, or sprinkle it on top later. We went ahead and added it to the mixture.
-Age the mixture for at least 2 hours in refridgerator, uncovered. We put it in a pitcher and left it overnight.  
The mixture is 18-proof.

Tasting Notes:
     Hands down, we really enjoyed the Williamsburg recipe the best. The Captain Morgan Private Stock really added an awesome amount of spice and flavor that complemented the other ingredients nicely. It had a very creamy nose with a delicious liquor finish. The aftertaste was spicy and surprisingly pleasant. The only possible downer to this recipe is that you are supposed to “age” it for at least two hours. If you need a quick fix, you may want to look eslewhere.

Eggnog #2 Recipe

We used Don Q for the rum and Jim Beam for the bourbon.

Steps:
-Separate the eggs.
-Beat the yolks well.
-Beat in 1/2 cup of sugar.
-Clean/degrease the beaters and a bowl.
-Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
-Beat in 1/2 cup of sugar.
-Fold in the yolks to the whites.
-Gently stir in 1 pint of heavy cream, 1 pint of milk, 1 pint of bourbon, and 1 oz of rum.
-Serve as is or well-chilled. Double the recipe to fill a punch bowl.
The mixture is 20-proof.

Tasting Notes:
     The eggnog recipe #2 was a little perplexing. Even though it had the highest proof of all the recipes we tried, it really didn’t have much of an alcohol taste. It was very creamy with a definite hint of the raw egg taste. If you are a fan of traditional eggnogs, this may be a good choice for you. However, we did find the taste to be rather bland. This recipe may be greatly improved with the addition of spices to add a little more of a flavor kick. We never tried to experiement with the spices because we were too concerned with playing the drunken dart game I described in the “Drinking Games” section of our forum.

Here are some spices you may want to try to add to this mixture for that extra kick of flavor.

Mike’s Wonderful Recipe

We used Amaretto di Amore and Kahlúa.

Steps:
-Pour the eggnog mix into a coffee mug.
-Stir in the amaretto, and float the Kahlúa on top (we just stirred in the Kalúa too).
-Add a small shot of whipped cream (we used whipping cream because I can’t read).
-Sprinkle a couple of pinches of nutmeg on top at the end.
The mixture is 8-proof.

Tasting Notes:
     If you are looking for a recipe that is quick and easy, this one is definitely the winner. Since the eggnog mix is premade and all you have to do is mix in a couple other ingredients, this one is really simple to make. The taste was rather unique. You can definitely taste the coffee liqueur and cream up front, but there is a slight almond finish and aftertaste from the amaretto. Although we all prefered the Williamsburg recipe, many coffee fans may like this recipe even more. If you want more of a coffee flavor, try using the homemade coffee liqueur we showed you how to make a few months back. I’m sure it would mix very well.

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      I always thought that Three Olives vodka was a really expensive, snobbish type of vodka, but I am pleased to say that I was wrong.  It’s really smooth and really affordable.  Plus, it is a sexy (yes, I said sexy)  kind of vodka.  I think it’s the simple bottle design that does it for me.  I’m really attracted to this bottle but only as a friend, nothing more.

     Three Olives is an ultra-premium vodka from England.  Handcrafted in small batches, Three Olives vodka is made from the finest English wheat.  It’s quadruple distilled and goes through quadruple filtration, removing natural impurities.  This process makes vodka of exceptional purity and smoothness.  All this is printed on the bottle, so it must be true.  And I’ll admit, the taste of this vodka has me believing it.

     Three Olives on the rocks is great.  It has a a pretty simple vodka burn with kind of a light cream aftertaste that really is a surprise.  That flavor is almost addictive.  I can’t drink only one shot.  It’s like a bag of chips, only way better.  Just simply shaken with ice it is very delicious.  If I could do it, I would have the water that comes out of the faucets in my house replaced with this vodka.  And what a good day that would be!

     Now this sexy vodka temptress tastes even better when shes playing with others.  Mixed with Sprite©, it tastes like a cocktail dream.  All vodkas should mix this well.  Maybe I have just become more use to the dirtier vodkas, who knows?  It really adds that smooth taste and vodka sting that every kind of juice, cola, and water should possess.  Three Olives is good.

     This 80-proof vodka also does something well that all liquors should do, it got me drunk.  Not a nasty drunk but a drunk that made me feel like I should be partying it up with hot runway models.  And the models will love me because the ladies like the Three Olives vodka.  Unfortunately, I was too busy that night and could not hang out with all my many model friends.  Girls, you can call me again this weekend.  I think I can find a little time to squeeze you in this weekend.

     Hangover-wise it isn’t as bad as what you may expect from any vodka that you consume in large amounts.  It gave me cotton mouth that would rival anything that Charmin could produce.  Besides that, it wasn’t too bad.

     All in all, this vodka didn’t score poorly in any category.  You can actually go out and pick this bottle up for less than $24.  It is really worth it.  Three Olives also has a very unique and elegant bottle design.  If you like to collect your empty liquor bottles or, as we like to call them, “trophies of conquest,” this is a must-have.  So if you haven’t already purchased a bottle, go out and buy Three Olives.  You are going to need something for all the hot models that come to the house.  They aren’t going to want to just drink water all night.  They are going to want martinis, and Three Olives is going to be just the vodka for the job.

Sipability - 7.0

Mixability - 8.5

Drunkability - 7.0

Hangover-ability - 7.0

Bang for the Buck - 8.0

Chick-appeal - 7.0

Overall - 7.5  

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     Here’s a not-so-new little drink that I found one day searching for much needed items to help sustain my way of life at the liquor store.  It’s called Trantula Azul Blue Margarita.  It’s made with Trantula tequila (duh), triple sec, and other things they throw in for color and what-not.  It tastes incredible!  There are other colors and flavors, but trust me when I say that the blue one is by far the best.  This stuff won’t get you drunk at 11-proof, but it will get you ready to go.  Yes, you can mix it with more tequila to make it stronger and it will mix well, but thats not why I favor this stuff.  It’s sweet with a lightly bitter kiss on the end.  For all you female drinkers, don’t worry.  This one carries a 10 on the chick-appeal scale.  The flavor of this stuff is really one-of-a-kind.  Plus, this bottle is flask-sized.  Thats right; you can throw this one in your pocket for easy portability.  And for all of you out there who don’t own a flask, you can get 4 for only $5 at your local liquor or grocery store.  Just drink the delicious insides and you have 4 poor-man’s flasks.  So next time you are grocery shopping, spend the $5 and buy Trantula Azul Blue Margarita.  Take it home.  Chill it, then drink it.

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