Homemade Egg Nog

I made some egg nog for the first time this week and it turned out very good! It was always a part of Christmas for my family and I like to feel that by making it, I'm keeping the tradition alive. Here are some fun facts about this tasty drink:

Egg Nog is a rich, chilled and sweetened dairy-based beverage and is traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, eggs and spices. In some contexts, distilled spirits such as brandy, rum, whiskey or bourbon are added to the drink. Throughout the United States and Canada, eggnog is traditionally consumed over the Christmas season, from late November until the end of the holiday season. While eggnog is often served chilled, in some cases it is warmed, particularly on cold days; similar to the way mulled wine is served warm. The term "eggnog" was an Americanism invented around 1765-75. Records show that the first U.S. President, George Washington, served an eggnog-like drink to visitors.

The most notable case of alcohol problems associated with the drink was the Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, on the 23rd–25th of December 1826. Possession of alcohol at the academy was prohibited, along with drunkenness and intoxication, both of which could lead to expulsion. By 1826, concern had been raised that drinking was starting to get out of hand among the 260 cadets at the academy. The cadets were informed that, due to the alcohol prohibition at the academy, their Christmas eggnog would be alcohol-free, prompting the decision by some of the cadets to sneak liquor into the academy. Gallons of whiskey were smuggled into the barracks to make eggnog for a Christmas Day party. This led to "...a drunken free-for-all. Windows, furniture and crockery were smashed; banisters were torn from walls and fights broke out. One eggnog-addled cadet tried, but failed, to shoot his commanding officer." The incident resulted in the court-martialing of twenty cadets and one enlisted soldier. Neither the young Jefferson Davis nor Robert E. Lee, who were in attendance, was found guilty of any offences or expelled.