Cold Brew Infused Eggnog

Directions

• Before We Start

  Removing Alcohol from Whiskey: We burn off the alcohol from the whiskey to add complexity, while keeping it a non-alcoholic beverage. See FAQs for more details. If you want to make it without the whiskey, just combine the salt and sugar from that step with the milk and sugar and continue the recipe as normal.
  Cold Brew: This recipe uses our cold brew coffee recipe. It is a 7:1 ratio and can be made easily without any special equipment (except for a coffee grinder). If you don’t want to make cold brew at home, you can order it without ice from a coffee shop.

• Prepare Your Spices

  Freshly grate the nutmeg using a microplane to measure 1 teaspoon (0.6g). Set aside 3/4 for now and 1/4 for garnish later in the recipe. Gather your cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and ground cinnamon.

• Prepare the Egg Mixture

  In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks (101g) with the remaining 109g of sugar (approximately 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp). Whisk vigorously for about 3-4 minutes until the mixture starts to become pale and slightly expanded, with the sugar beginning to dissolve.

• Burn Off the Whiskey

  In a medium heavy-bottomed pot, combine the whiskey (40g), 1/8 teaspoon salt (1g), and 52g (1/4 cup) of sugar. Heat over medium heat, then carefully use a lighter to ignite the alcohol. Let it burn for about 1-2 minutes until the alcohol is completely burned off. It should dissolve the sugar and turn to a syrup like consistency. If the flame goes out before then, try to relight it to continue burning the alcohol.
  
  Tips for burning the alcohol (Flambé): Shaking the pot gently while it burns will help catch more of the alcohol on fire. Don’t get too agressive or you will have a pretty big flame to deal with. Also, if doubling the recipe, do this step in batches, so you don’t create an inferno!

• Add Dairy and Infuse

  Pour in the heavy cream (500g) and whole milk (482g), whisking gently to combine. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and 3/4 of the freshly grated nutmeg, and ground cinnamon (0.25g). Maintain medium-low heat—you want to warm the mixture to a gentle simmer without boiling.
  
  We are aiming for 150-160 F. If not using a thermometer to gauge the temperature, look for steam. As soon as you see it steaming, it is hot enough and needs pulled from the heat.

• Temper the Eggs

  Using a ladle, slowly add about 1/2 cup of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks and whisk quickly for a few seconds to incorporate. Add another 1/2 cup and whisk again. Then increase the amount 1 cup at a time and repeat whisking shortly after you add it each time. Continue until you have added about 2/3 of the mixture. This gradually raises the temperature of the eggs without scrambling them.

• Combine and Finish Heating

  Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the pot with the remaining cream mixture with the heat off and add vanilla extract (9g), then gently stir.
  
  The residual heat of the pot will help bring the mixture to the ideal temp needed to thicken it slightly.

• Strain the Mixture

  Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the eggnog mixture over the strainer to remove the spices and inconsistent pieces.

• Chill Quickly (optional)

  In an even larger bowl, place a few scoops of ice and about 4-6 cups of water. Set the large bowl with the eggnog on top of it. The ice water bath will help chill the mixture in your bowl faster so it is ready to drink in less time.
  
  Alternatively, you can just set it in the fridge to cool after you add the cold brew for 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

• Add Cold Brew and Adjust

  Stir in the cold brew (250g or 1 cup) and mix well.

• Serve

  Serve chilled in glasses with a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg on top or enjoy our frothy shaken version for an extra cool and foamy finish.

• Go Shaken, Not Stirred (optional)

  Fill a cocktail shaker 1/3 the way with ice (larger ice cubes is best to reduce dilution). Add 250g of eggnog and 35g egg white. If you want a boozy version, also add 28 g (1 oz) of whiskey. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds until frothy. Strain through the strainer of the cocktail shaker in addition to a small fine mesh strainer directly into the cup. After about 30 seconds, the micro foam from the egg whites will sit on top. Garnish with a pinch of nutmeg.
  
  This is an egg white trick commonly used by some of the best bartenders in the world. Raw egg whites carry a very low risk of Salmonella. If you are still concerned about consuming raw egg whites, rinsing your egg shells is a way to remove any potential contaminates, further reducing the risk or pasteurizing them to completely remove risk is another alternative.
  
  Please tell me you got the James Bond reference.