Holiday project: Homemade eggnog and creative variations

You’re handed a glass of a familiar holiday drink, and a deliciously unfamiliar aroma greets you: toasted coconut with hints of Tahitian vanilla, cinnamon and Jamaican allspice. You raise the glass to your lips and are surprised by the satiny texture -- nearly thick enough for a spoon but souffle-like. The flavor is rich and harmonious -- warm, caramel notes of dark Jamaican rum playfully flirting with the slight sweetness of coconut milk. It’s the perfect tropical eggnog for a brisk holiday evening.

Eggnog? Yes, it’s that time of the year, and eggnog is the official drink of the season.

You know the usual incarnations: Thick or thin, packaged or homemade, it can be a dreamy, nutmeg-scented indulgence or a mere vehicle for alcohol.

But why not be inventive and push the envelope a little? Try pink nog-tini -- made with gin and maraschino liqueur -- or butterscotch eggnog, made with rye whiskey and brown sugar. Like other re-imaginings of classic cocktails, the reinvention of eggnog brings fresh ingredients and creative flavor combinations into play.

Start with the revelatory eggnog recipe in Gray Kunz and Peter Kaminsky’s excellent book “The Elements of Taste.� At first glance, it’s nothing special, with all the usual ingredients: eggs, sugar, seasonings, heavy cream, milk and spirits. But each ingredient is finessed to its fullest potential. Cream is whipped to stiff peaks, then chilled. Egg whites are beaten to stiff peaks; the yolks are whisked with spirits over a hot water bath before also being chilled. Finally, the ingredients are gently folded together to give the resulting drink rich, full-bodied character with a light, almost whimsical feel. Kunz and Kaminsky call for Cognac (rather than just a standard brandy) and spice the drink with ground star anise, giving this eggnog a whole new, almost exotic, identity.

Use this method, but experiment with the spirit bases and flavorings. For rum-coco nog, begin with rum, a traditional base for eggnog, but substitute coconut milk for regular milk, and spice with cinnamon and allspice. For a subtle, sophisticated drink that plays on the nut-fruit flavors of holiday baking, use a base of amaretto and apricot liqueurs and garnish with orange zest. Substituting rye whiskey for the Cognac and using brown sugar for the sweetener yields a decidedly adult eggnog with butterscotch overtones, and if you can get your hands on some chestnut honey, use it to make a rich, almost smoky eggnog with Scotch.

Go ahead and have some fun. Try a tequila-based eggnog with an orange liqueur -- you’ll get a fresh, citrus-cream eggnog that reminds you why you love orange gelato. And don’t be afraid to make the beautiful pink nog-tini with gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur and grenadine. It’s wildly different but perfectly suited for the holidays with the faint aroma of pine and hints of juniper and cherry.

If you’re normally not a fan of eggnog, consider that up until now maybe you just haven’t had the right one. If you love the stuff, your seasonal adventure’s just beginning. Cheers!

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Heavenly eggnog

Total time: 20 minutes

Servings: 12

Note: Adapted from “The Elements of Taste� by Gray Kunz and Peter Kaminsky. Ground star anise is generally available at gourmet markets and cooking stores, as well as online. You may also grind whole star anise pods, which are widely available, in a spice grinder or coffee mill.

3/4 cup heavy cream

6 eggs, separated

1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar, divided

1 cup Cognac

1/2 teaspoon finely ground star anise

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, plus more for garnish

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup milk

1. Beat the cream in a stand mixer (or in a medium chilled bowl, using a hand mixer), until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Refrigerate the whipped cream until needed.

2. In a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, combine the egg yolks, one-half cup of sugar and Cognac. Whisking constantly, cook the egg mixture until it thickens slightly, is warm to the touch and looks satiny and white, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool the mixture by placing it over an ice bath and whisking, then refrigerate.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer), whip the egg whites to stiff peaks along with the star anise, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar. Set aside.

4. Fold the egg white mixture gently into the chilled egg yolks, then, again very gently, fold in the chilled whipped cream and milk, each a little at a time, until incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, pour into chilled glasses or eggnog cups (or demitasses), with a pinch of allspice. The eggnog will keep for 1 day, covered and refrigerated.

Each of 12 (half-cup) servings: 179 calories; 4 grams protein; 11 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 128 mg. cholesterol; 49 mg. sodium.

Eggnog variations

Amaretto-apricot eggnog

Reduce the sugar to 2 tablespoons, to be cooked with the yolks (no sugar for the egg whites). Substitute three-fourths cup amaretto liqueur and one-fourth cup apricot liqueur for the Cognac. Omit the spices. Garnish: grated orange zest.

Nut brittle nog

Whisk one-fourth cup smooth peanut butter into the milk before incorporating. Substitute one-half cup vodka and one-half cup hazelnut liqueur for the Cognac. Spice with 1 teaspoon vanilla, one-half teaspoon almond extract, one-fourth teaspoon cinnamon and one-eighth teaspoon ground nutmeg. Garnish: a bit of ground nutmeg.

Wry vanilla eggnog

Substitute dark brown sugar for the sugar; don’t add sugar to the egg whites (use only the one-half cup for the yolks). Substitute rye whiskey for the Cognac. Spice with 1 scraped vanilla pod. Garnish: nutmeg.

Scotch ‘n’ honey nog

Substitute 2 tablespoons chestnut honey for the total sugar (add to the egg yolks) and a Scotch for the Cognac. Omit the spices. Garnish: a swirl of chestnut honey.

Rum-coco nog

Don’t add sugar to the egg whites (use only the one-half cup for the yolks). Substitute dark rum for the Cognac and 2 cups coconut milk for the milk. Spice with one-fourth teaspoon vanilla, one-half teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground allspice. Garnish: toasted coconut.

Pink nog-tini

Don’t add sugar to the egg whites (use only the one-half cup for the yolks). Substitute three-fourths cup gin (preferably Plymouth), one- fourth cup sweet vermouth, one- eighth cup maraschino liqueur and one-eighth cup grenadine for the Cognac, and one-half teaspoon almond extract for the spices. Garnish: a maraschino cherry sliver.

Naranja nog

Don’t add sugar to the egg whites (use only the one-half cup for the yolks). Substitute three-fourths cup tequila (preferably anejo), one-fourth cup orange liqueur, and 2 dashes orange bitters for the Cognac. Spice with 1 teaspoon vanilla, one-eighth teaspoon cloves and one-fourth teaspoon ground cinnamon. Garnish: an orange twist.

-- Noelle Carter