The best rum for eggnog is a dark or aged rum with no added sugar. Eggnog is already the sweetest, richest drink of the season — yolks, sugar, cream. A sweetened rum has nothing to push against and the whole thing collapses into dessert.
Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup caster or superfine sugar
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 to 6 oz Bombarda Maravilla 8, Capitana or Revenge
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, plus more to finish
- Pinch of salt
Method of Attack:
- Whisk the yolks and sugar together until pale, thick and no longer grainy — about three minutes by hand.
- Whisk in the milk, cream, nutmeg and salt.
- Add the rum and whisk to combine. Start at 4 oz and taste before adding more.
- Chill for at least two hours. Overnight is better — the flavours knit and the texture thickens.
- Serve cold in small glasses with fresh nutmeg grated over the top.
About This Recipe:
Eggnog descends from posset, a medieval English drink of hot milk curdled with wine or ale. It became an American Christmas fixture for a practical reason: the colonies had dairy, and they had rum.
Why the rum choice matters more here than anywhere else. Count the sugar already in the glass: a third of a cup in the base, plus the natural sweetness of cream and yolk. That is the entire sugar budget spent before the spirit arrives.
A large share of commercial rums carry added sugar, and it is rarely on the label. Put one of those into eggnog and there is nothing dry left anywhere in the drink — no spice, no oak, just richness on richness.
We use Maravilla 8 for its fig, almond and cinnamon, or Capitana for a rounder, oakier nog. Revenge is the choice if you want the spice to lead. None of them carry added sugar, caramel colorant or chill filtration.
Battle Notes:
Make it the day before. Eggnog served straight from the bowl tastes like its separate parts; twelve hours in the refrigerator turns it into one drink.
On raw eggs: if you would rather not serve them raw, use pasteurised eggs, or gently cook the yolk-and-milk base to 160°F over low heat, then chill before adding the rum.
See also our guide to rum punch for a crowd.
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