Eggnog has many names in Czech – vaječný likér, vaječný koňak, vaječňák, ajrák, ajrlikér (from German Eierlikör). It’s typically made at Christmas and New Year’s Eve and here’s one of the traditional recipes.
Although eggnog isn’t a recipe of Czech origin, it has been a traditional part of Christmas for many people since decades. It uses condensed and normal milk, cream, egg yolks and you will probably not be surprised to read that many Czechs substitute the typical cane rum with Czech rum made from potatoes. I use traditional rum but feel free to substitute.
I also have a recipe for a much simple Rum-Caramel Liquor and it’s right here.
Homemade Eggnog – Recipe
Supplies
- 400 g/14.1 oz of condensed milk (one can in Czech stores) – or make it at home, here’s the recipe
- 250 ml/8.5 fl oz of heavy cream (whipping cream)
- 250 ml/8.5 fl oz of milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 25 g/0.9 oz of powder sugar
- 1 vanilla bean/1 tsp of vanilla paste/1 tbsp of vanilla extract in alcohol
- 200 – 300 ml/6.8 – 10 fl oz of rum (to taste)
How to make Homemade Eggnog
Place yolks and sugar into a saucepan and whisk for a while. Add condensed milk, milk, cream and seeds from 1 vanilla bean. Whisk well and start heating up over low heat. Don’t let the mixture boil, if you have a candy thermometer, let it get up to 85°C. If you don’t have thermometer, whisk constantly and watch the texture. Boiling could cause the yolks to cook or the eggnog to get too dense, therefore, it’s super important to watch it constantly.
Once the eggnog starts getting dense, take it off the heat and whisk for a while longer until it cools down. You want the mixture denser than at the beginning but not as much as, for example, vanilla pudding. If you drink sweet liquors and know how they are, that’s the density you’re looking for.
Tip: You can fill a bowl with cold water, place the saucepan in it and keep whisking for shorter time as the mixture will cool down faster.
When the mixture’s not warm anymore, whisk in the rum in small portions, tasting every now and then to see whether you’re ok with the amount of alcohol.
Fill in a bottle and keep the homemade eggnog in a cold place.
