EggNog in History, Health, and Hospitality

By Anne Rothfeld ~

Culinary historians have traced the origins of egg-nog to the medieval British punch called “posset,” warm milk curdled with alcohol such as wine or beer, flavored with spices.  In medieval Europe, monks added their own twist by serving posset with figs and eggs.  By the seventeenth-century, the aristocracy drank their egg nogs with sherry as a sign of wealth.  For example, the recipe for “My Lord of Carlisle’s Sack-Posset” consisted of a heated mixture of cream, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, eighteen egg yolks, eight egg whites, and one pint of sherry.

Egg nog in colonial America was made with rum traded from the Caribbean Islands as it was less expensive than most liquors shipped from England.  This rich brew evolved into the essential holiday drink across the colonies, and each area made a version of the drink unique to the region.  While many colonists used rum, southern families preferred bourbon or whiskey.  When the western states were settled, egg nog was served either hot or over ice, and included different spirits such as Madeira wine, hard cider, or tequila.

In the 19th century, Doctors  believed the drink was an ideal way to deliver prescriptions and nutrients for those on liquid diets.  Doctors included egg nogs as part of a convalescent diet for patients recovering from typhoid fever, dysentery, diphtheria, operations, ulcers, and tuberculosis.  Eggs consist of proteins, fats, and essential vitamins, and support many vital bodily functions.  “Warming spices,” including nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and cayenne have beneficial properties for health, providing relief to stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and flatulence.  An 1884 hospital egg nog recipe for patients in A Nurses Journal runs: “To a tumblerful of milk add one egg, well beaten; sweeten to taste. Tablespoonful of brandy, whisky or port wine.”

Egg nogs formed part of liquid diets for patients as these diets were:

” … easily digestible, … free from irritating condiments and mechanical irritants. … Such diets should be give in small portions, 60-400 cc, depending on the nature of the case. The feedings should be repeated every two hours unless there are contraindications. At least six to eight feedings are required daily.” —Diet Manual, Fitzsimons General Hospital, 1941

In St. Louis, in 1883, Nurses administered the egg nog with two tablespoonfuls brandy at regular intervals throughout the day and night.

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