I have been making Martha Stewart recipes for years (well, decades)—some so regularly that I know them by heart. But somehow, I have never made Martha’s Classic Eggnog, one of the most iconic holiday drinks. Recently, a video of Martha making her eggnog went viral, and as the editorial director of Martha Stewart, I figured it was high time I tried it—after all, it’s one of our most famous recipes.
The Viral Video
We shared the video of Martha whipping up a batch on Instagram and TikTok—and wow, you all love watching Martha make eggnog. As of this writing, the post has gone viral to the tune of 15 million views with a watch time of 11 years!
And what’s not to love? Martha coyly warns that “it’s pretty strong” as she casually glugs 3 cups of bourbon into a bowl, followed by dark rum and 2 cups of cognac—”a good cognac,” of course. There’s the giant whisk, the voluminous whipped egg whites, the clouds of whipped cream. And the coup de grace, her parting words as she raises a cup. “Remember, one per person,” she says with a glint in her eye that seems to suggest that there will, in fact, be more than one cup per person.
So I Made the Eggnog
Melissa Breyer
Martha says she can’t imagine Christmas without her favorite eggnog, so I got to work to see what makes the drink so special.
It is an easy recipe—and while there are eight ingredients, three of those are spirits, and one is nutmeg. Other than that, it’s raw eggs and dairy. No complicated techniques are required, and if you have strong arms and a little patience, you could skip the stand mixer and make the recipe with little more than a measuring cup, a whisk, and two bowls. I didn’t feel like bringing out my stand mixer, so I used my hand mixer, which was more than enough.
What About Raw Eggs?
A number of Instagram commenters were squeamish about raw eggs because of the risk of salmonella. Me? Not so much. I have probably eaten my body weight in raw eggs via homemade mayonnaise and Caesar dressing alone. (And I am someone who had an NYC Food Protection Certificate for years!) I also suspect the sheer volume of alcohol alone might make it safe against pathogens.
That said, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends using pasteurized egg products in recipes where the finished dish contains raw or undercooked eggs. So, I decided to divide the recipe into two batches: One Martha-style (using raw eggs, living on the edge!) and one a more cautious CDC-style (using a carton of Vital Farms Pasteurized Liquid Whole Eggs).
The Process
Making the eggnog was quite simple. There are four steps: beat the yolks and sugar; add dairy; add spirits; add whipped egg whites and whipped cream; top with nutmeg. The recipe calls for superfine sugar—if you don’t have it on hand, you can whir regular granulated sugar in a blender or food processor for the same effect. You want it very fine, just before it turns to powder. (If you use regular sugar, it won’t dissolve very well into the mixture.)
For the Martha version, I followed the recipe exactly. For the cautious version, I whisked the pasteurized whole eggs with the sugar in the first step but, obviously, skipped folding in the whipped egg whites in step four. Everything else was the same.
Here’s How the Eggnog Turned Out
Melissa Breyer
Not surprisingly, the cautious version was not as lofty as Martha’s. The whipped egg whites give the drink structure, making it thick yet light and airy. But even so, the cautious version was creamy, boozy, and delicious. The whipped cream does some heavy lifting, so to speak, and for anyone concerned about consuming raw eggs, I would say this is a completely respectable alternative.
But Martha’s version is perfection—it is the epitome of cocktail alchemy where the sum of the parts creates something much more spectacular when whisked together just right. It’s beautifully balanced—sweet and rich with the heady flavors of bourbon, rum, and cognac spicing it up, and the nutmeg rounding out the experience. And not only is it the best eggnog I have tasted to date, but it was fun and relatively simple to make. It’s easy to see why Martha can’t imagine Christmas without it—and going forward, I suspect this will become yet another recipe I learn by heart.
Ready to give it a go? See the full recipe here: Martha’s Classic Eggnog. (Just remember, in the words of Martha: one per person!)
