Spiked eggnog is homemade with liquor that offers a richer, creamier flavor than what you find in the grocery store. This traditional homemade eggnog creates a boozy cocktail that’s super easy to make, and you’ll soon wonder why you’ve never made this before.
Boozy eggnog is celebrated for its warm, festive blend of spices, creating a comforting, indulgent treat perfect for holiday gatherings. You can customize this recipe with your favorite spirits like whiskey, rum, bourbon, or brandy. This cocktail has a rich creaminess that offers a sophisticated twist to this classic holiday beverage, making it perfect for serving in your punch bowl at holiday parties.
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Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
This spiked eggnog recipe succeeds because it perfectly balances traditional eggnog’s rich, creamy texture with a carefully chosen blend of spirits, creating delightful, comforting, and festive warmth. Unlike commercial versions, this recipe allows for personalization in sweetness, spice, and alcohol content, ensuring every sip meets your preferences. The key is properly whisking the eggs until light and creamy, then gradually incorporating each ingredient to create a smooth, luxurious texture that commercial eggnog cannot match. With this recipe, you don’t have to wait for the holiday season, you can make this any time of year.
What Makes Boozy Eggnog So Good
This cocktail’s rich creaminess offers a sophisticated twist on this classic holiday beverage. You can make the best-spiked eggnog from scratch, and eggnog drinkers will love this much more than store-bought varieties. The homemade version allows you to control every element, from the cream’s richness to the spirits’ strength.
Ingredients
For the Eggnog Base
- Eggs – Provide the rich, custard-like foundation that gives eggnog its signature creamy texture
- Sugar – Sweetens the mixture and helps create the smooth, dissolving base for all flavors
- Half-and-half – Adds creamy richness while maintaining the perfect consistency for drinking
- Heavy cream – Creates the luxurious, velvety texture that makes homemade eggnog special
- Vanilla extract – Enhances the overall flavor profile with warm, aromatic sweetness
- Ground nutmeg – this is the perfect topping for your eggnog
For the Spike
Liquor of choice – Bourbon, whiskey, brandy, dark rum, or spiced rum add the festive spirit and warmth
What alcohol to mix with eggnog
I chose to use dark spiced rum for my eggnog. I love the flavor of good-quality spiced rum, which adds a lot of nuance to the eggnog flavors and is the best liquor.
Here are some other recommendations for liquor for eggnog:
- Bourbon – Evan Williams is a popular choice
- Brandy or Cognac
- Baileys Irish Cream or Rumchata
- Fireball Cinnamon Whisky
- Rum – white, dark, or spiced
- Whisky – Southern Comfort is a popular choice
- Vanilla Vodka – has a light and refreshing flavor
How to make spiked eggnog
Here are the simple steps for how to make alcoholic eggnog:
- Whisk the eggs together in a large bowl with a hand mixer until they are lighter in color and creamy.
- Add sugar and stir to blend until all sugar is dissolved in the egg mixture.
- Add half-and-half, heavy cream, and vanilla.
- Stir to combine.
- Strain the mixture.
- Add liquor and stir to combine.
- Serve and enjoy!
How to serve homemade eggnog
I recommend you pour individual servings into a cup or chilled glass and then garnish them with the following toppings.
- A sprinkle of fresh nutmeg or ground cinnamon.
- Place a cinnamon stick in the cup.
- Stir in some chocolate syrup.
- Add a swirl of whipped cream on top of the eggnog.
Frequently asked questions about eggnog
Eggnog is a traditional milk punch that has been served up since the 1600s. This milk-based punch contains milk, cream, sugar, eggs, spices, and alcohol. This punch is rich and is almost like drinking a thick custard.
Eggnog is typically served cold.
Absolutely. You can make this a couple of days before serving. Some people allow their eggnog to age a few weeks before serving.
Store your homemade eggnog in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
You can spike eggnog with many different types of liquor. Rum (light, dark, or even spiced), brandy, whiskey, or bourbon all complement the eggnog.
I hope you give this alcoholic eggnog recipe a try and that you find homemade eggnog as delicious as I do.
Can’t get enough eggnog? Try these delicious recipes!
Favorite homemade cocktails
- B52 Shot
- Boozy Dole Whip
- Brandy Alexander with Ice Cream
- Fuzzy Navel Cocktail
- Homemade Kahlua
- Mudslide Drink
- White Russian Cocktail
Check out my easy cocktail recipes and the best Christmas recipes here on CopyKat!
Spiked Eggnog – Easy Homemade Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup rum, bourbon, whiskey, or brandy
- grated nutmeg or cinnamon for serving
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer until they are creamy and lightened in color. Add the sugar and stir with a spoon until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the half-and-half, heavy cream, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
- Strain the mixture into an airtight container. Add the liquor and stir to combine. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, top each glass of eggnog with some grated nutmeg or cinnamon.
Trying this recipe.. question.. how long can you store it in the refrigerator in a mason jar? Thanks!
I notice in the written instructions you say to strain the eggnog, but I didn’t see you strain in the video. Is this a necessary step? Thanks so much!
It is helpful, is it necessary no. If you don’t break down the egg whites fully, you can get a texture from them when you drink the egg nogg
Ah, I see. Thank you!
I hope to make this but will try a sugar-free recipe and hope it turns out like the real stuff?
Came across your simple recipe in a google search. For those that are concerned about raw eggs. If you’re making a boozy concoction, the alcohol will kill that bacteria. If you’re not doing the booze, then go for the pasteurized eggs.
https://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/yet-another-reason-to-spike-that-eggnog/
Hi i dont drink alcohol what should i put inllace
I would just leave it out, it will be fine.
Thanks Stephanie. Tastes great. I like to add 1/4 tsp nutmeg to this recipe. By the way, the Honda VT750 you sold me still works great. I took it to Glacier National Park last summer and rode it all around northern Montana.
Oh wow, I am glad you enjoy the bike!
We are making this tomorrow for Christmas Day, cannot wait!
Even though we raise our own chickens and the eggs are organic, I still hesitate to digest raw eggs. Do you have another recipe when you can at least heat it to kill any bacteria?
To make the recipe as written I would suggest that you use Safest choice store bought eggs, they are eggs that are pasteurized. If not, you could put the whole mixture into a double boiler, and I believe you would heat this to 140 degrees, prior to adding the alcohol.
Thanks Stephanie, that helps. I shall heat it in a double boiler, as we prefer our own eggs, and, we have a lot of them!
I found an eggnog recipe that tastes great and I also make it sugar-free. Mine only uses the yolks. Whip with Splenda and set aside. Mix the cream and milk, nutmeg in a saucepan, heat till simmers. Add a small part milk to yolks, then add a little more. Add all the yolks mixture to the milk mixture. Heat again to simmer. Put in jar and cover and cool.
6 yolks
1/2 cup Splenda
1 cup cream or half and half
2 cups milk 1/2 tbsp. nutmeg, add vanilla after removing from the heat!
I will have to give this a try.
Hi Stephanie.
I just wanted to ask exactly what is Half & half? As I’m in the Uk and I’ve never heard of this so what can I use instead please as I’m dieing to make your Boozy Egg Nog.
Ty Claire.
Ps. Now I’m feeling slightly stupid for asking but if I don’t ask right lol.
Half and Half is sold in the US, it is a mixture of whole milk and heavy cream. It is half whole milk and half cream.