Hello, Friends of Cocktails. Is there a cocktail more festive than eggnog? And you know that store bought stuff can’t hold a candle to something made with care and attention to details - plus, you can give it your own twist, which is exactly what we’ll do today! I’ll show you how to make a banana-flavored eggnog, with rum and homemade cacao liqueur, and if you make it to the Bottom of The Glass you’ll hear about how serious eggnoggin’ can get. It’ll be a riot, so stay tuned!
This won’t be the first eggnog we’ll make on Cocktail Time. We also made a special eggnog with Gingerbread Cookie Syrup, rum and sherry, and we can’t forget the Grinch-inspired Green Eggnog full of tropical flavors, which I then delivered to the Grinch’s cave myself! But now it’s time for the Banananog, which will have a base of rum and cacao liqueur, but you’ll also need eggs, cream, milk, Banana Oleo Saccharum and saline solution.
For rum ’ll be using La Hachichera’s Experimental Series No2, The Banana Experiment. This fine aged Colombian rum was matured in white oak casks, and infused with a generous amount of organic sun-dried bananas. For Cacao Liqueur you could use something like Creme de Cacao, but I promise the DIY Version we made previously is excellent and super easy to make. So all we need to go over is how to make a Banana & Nutmeg Oleo Saccharum. It’s Cocktail Time!
Banana & Nutmeg Oleo Saccharum
● 250g Banana Peels
● 450g Sugar
● 0.5g Nutmeg
Begin by placing the peels into a jar and enjoy your bananas, or put them in the freezer for a smoothie later. Follow that with the nutmeg, and to expose more surface area to the sugar I’ll first crush it using a mortar and pestle. Now add the sugar, and we can speed up this process a bit by giving everything a quick muddle to push sugar into all the small pores. Then we wait and after 24 hours give it a stir, then leave to sit for another day.
After that it’s time to filter out the Banana Oleo Saccharum through a fine strainer and bottle it - don’t forget to add a label and keep in the fridge. We’ll use the Oleo Saccharum in the garnish as well, but we can make that while today’s eggnog chills in the fridge, so let’s get to making the Banananog. We’ll do this in 3 parts, then combine them for an amazing festive treat, with a little something special on top.
Banananog
● 105mL · 3.5oz La Hechicera Banana Experiment
● 45mL · 1.5oz (45 mL) Cocoa Liqueur
● 8 drops 20% Saline Solution
● 2 Eggs
● 45mL · 1.5oz Banana & Nutmeg Oleo Saccharum
● 120mL · 4oz Cream
● 180mL · 6oz Milk
I’m beginning at the base, so we can start by combining the liquid ingredients. So in one container mix the rum, cocoa liqueur, and saline solution. The second part is the eggs - one whole egg and just the egg yolk from the second one, but save the extra egg white in the fridge since we’ll need that for the garnish. In a separate container, whisk the yolks and egg white with a hand mixer on medium speed for at least 2 minutes so you get a consistent cream, and at that point add our Banana & Nutmeg Oleo Saccharum.
Continue whisking for another minute, and once everything is combined we’ll move on to the third part. For this we’ll combine cream and milk separately, which will give our eggnog a creamy texture. First I’ll whip the cream using a milk frother, a useful little tool, especially if it’s rechargeable! Once whipped, add and mix in the milk and we’re now ready to combine everything we’ve made so far.
First pour the milk and cream mixture into the eggs, whisk gently to combine, then add our liquid base of rum and cocoa liqueur. Whisk well enough to combine everything, give it a quick taste, and knowing it’ll blow everyone’s mind, place it in the fridge to chill and for the flavors to mix and develop. I’d say a good 2-4 hours is ideal, which also gives you plenty of time to make a delicious torched meringue garnish, as well as get everything ready for your festive gatherings!
Banana Torched Meringue
● 1 Egg White
● 25g Banana & Nutmeg Oleo Saccharum
● 25g Sugar
Start by whisking the egg white from before using a hand mixer. Once it starts to thicken I’ll add the sugar and Oleo Saccharum, and then continue whisking until you get stiff peaks. Afterwards, scoop all of the meringue mixture into a piping bag with a wide nozzle, or cut the tip of a clean freezing bag and use that. Also make sure that you’ve got your piping technique down before you move on to serving the banananog, to get the presentation just right!
As with everything that’s chilled and then served without ice, I’d suggest using chilled glasses or cups to serve, so scoop in the cocktail before we’ll add the garnish. This should be enough eggnog for around 4-6 servings, depending on the size of your glass. Now add a dollop of meringue on top and have a torch ready. Burning it lightly will give it a subtle smokey caramelized aroma, just like we did for the BBQ Mint Julep. All that’s left is to say cheers with a glass of holiday delight - cheers!
The aroma boasts a hint of smokiness, blending perfectly with banana notes. The cocktail's texture is velvety and rich, bringing in a slightly funky banana and cocoa note on the palate, spiced up with nutmeg. And when you go for the garnish you’ll get a subtle banana and caramel sweetness perfectly rounding up this year’s festive treat! With such an amazing drink, we’ve reached the Bottom of The Glass.
Today I’ll share a story of an actual riot that was caused by eggnog - the Eggnog Riot of 1826. This happened at the West Point military academy when cadets, breaking rules, added whiskey to their eggnog. This festive rebellion turned into a full-blown riot, complete with property damage and disciplinary actions, making it a spirited chapter in the academy's history - pun intended. No need to riot on Cocktail Time though, so I’ll see you next time, Friends of Cocktails.