Posted on 12/17/2005 8:35:25 AM PST by Pharmboy
The General's Eggnog
One quart of cream
One quart of milk
A dozen eggs
One pint of brandy
A half pint of rye
A quarter pint of rum
A quarter pint of sherry
Christmas of 1826 was snowy, cold and lonely for the cadets of West Point. Though called "men" they were really teenage boys -- some as young as 17 -- and they wanted to celebrate Christmas. Young Jefferson Davis, future president of the Confederate States of America, was amongst them.
But West Point then, as it is now, was a house of order and discipline. The military academy was under the strictest orders of sobriety that Christmas season. And being young men some took it upon themselves to challenge those orders in the name of holiday celebration. They organized, they partied -- and then they got caught.
During excused absences the men of West Point would visit area taverns and drink grog -- a mix of alcoholic spirits and spices whose many differing recipes came over from the Old World of England in those post-revolutionary times. But for their clandestine Christmas celebration of 1826 they sought to make eggnog - a creamy mixture of typical grog ingredients combined with milk, cream and eggs. Military tradition had passed down rumors of a fancy for the drink from George Washington himself, whose stiff recipe challenged even the heartiest drinker. It was the seasonal tradition of Christmas in colonial America and for these boys it was a sentimental taste of home.
Carefully they planned their party. The ingredients were brought in under cover of darkness, at varying times and by the hands of several individuals. On Christmas Eve they posted guards to look out for watchful superior officers, blackened their windows and began mixing their eggnog. There party proceeded unnoticed until 4:30 in the morning when the effects of their celebration started to take effect rather noisily. By that point keeping the officers from noticing was impossible. What ensued thereafter has come to be known in legend as the Eggnog Riot. One cadet ended up facing murder charges by the time it was said and done. Six others resigned and 19 others were court martialed. And many, including Jefferson Davis, received the punishment of being confined to quarters for more than a month.
But many, even some of those expelled from the academy, expressed no regret for their involvement in the event. It was after all Christmas. And it was, after all, only eggnog.
Eggnog was one of the most common holiday traditions of Colonial America. Before there were Christmas trees, before there was Santa Claus, and long before there was ever a national holiday called Christmas there was the annual tradition of eggnog.
Eggnog definitely has ties to old England and the time-honored tradition of wassail. Though different from wassail, which used fruits as a base, eggnog's consistent ingredient has always been eggs. But aside from the eggs and milk or cream, eggnog of the 18th century could contain any manner of wine, beer, ale or other spirits. Spices, most notably nutmeg, were also constants.
George Washington's recipe called for one quart of cream, one quart of milk, a dozen eggs, one pint of brandy, a half pint of rye, a quarter pint of rum and a quarter pint of sherry. He was famous, especially after the Revolutionary War, for holding festive Christmas gatherings featuring his unique brand of eggnog.
Eggnog continues to this day as a holiday tradition. Available now in grocery stores as early as mid-October, eggnog is as popular as a non-alcoholic beverage as it once was in its raw form. It has over time become one of the classic flavors of Christmas and has spawned a mini-industry of eggnog-flavored creations from cheese cake to ice cream.
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How fitting to have a bird on the coat of arms ... It must be laying eggs in that crown for eggnog.
And the Pharmboy family will be making our annual Christmas Day visit to Mount Vernon next week. That day has special significance there for two reasons: first, The General made it back just in time for Christmas in 1783 after his farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in NYC on December 4, and then turning over his sword to Congress, sitting in Annapolis on December 23rd. Second, it is the anniversary of the Delaware Crossing and subsequent victory at Trenton. Huzzah!
And, it should be noted for those interested, that on Christmas Day at Mount Vernon the table in the dining room is set for the Christmas dinner and they open up certain rooms that are ordinarily closed to visitors.
Christmas is come, hang on the pot,
Let spits turn round, and ovens be hot;
Beef, pork, and poultry, now provide
To feast thy neighbors at this tide;
Then wash all down with good wine and beer,
And so with mirth conclude the Year.
Virginia Almanac (Royle) 1765
Hmm...raven eggs. Not too tasty, I would imagine. :)
And from the Frugal Housewife, a bill of fare for December meals:
A Bill of FARE for DECEMBER.
> First Course.
1 Cod's Head.
2 Stewed Beef.
3 Chine of Lamb.
4 Chickens.
5 Pudding.
6 Veal Collops.
7 Lambs Fry.
8 Calf's Feet Pie.
9 Tongue.
> Second Course.
1 Wild Fowls.
2 Jellies.
3 Partridges.
4 Larks.
5 Galantine.
6 Prawns.
7 Sturgeon.
8 Savory Cakes.
9 Mushrooms.
(one of the fun things about cultural history is discovering what people ate!)
That recipe you posted at #10 looks like it would taste like a drink a buddy and I used to drink on backpacking trips.
One large shot of Barcardi 151 poured into a Sierra cup of powdered Countrytime lemonade made as sweet and strong as you could stand.
Called it the Trailblazer.
Crossing the Delaware in the dead of winter is chilly business
Just goes to show you what's good keeps coming around...but Countrytime? Lemonade is not hard to make.
"Lemonade is not hard to make."
I don't want to tote pounds of fresh lemons up and down the mountains.
Some recipes from the Frugal Housewife:
To make onion Soup.
First, put a tea-kettle of water on to boil, then slice six Spanish onions, or some of the largest onions you have got; flour them pretty well, then put them into a stew-pan that will hold about three quarts, fry them in butter till they are of a fine brown, but not burnt: pour in boiling water sufficient to fill the soup dish you intend; let it boil, and take half a pound of butter rolled in flour, break it in, and keep it stirring till your butter is melted: as it boils, scum it very well, and put in a little pepper and salt; cut a French roll into slices, and set it before the fire to crisp; poach seven or eight eggs very nicely; cut off all the rugged part of the whites, drain the water from them, and lay them upon every slice of roll; pour your soup into the dish, and put the bread and eggs carefully into the dish with a skimmer. If you have any spinach boiled, lay a leaf between every piece of roll, and send it to table.
To Roast Beef.
If it be a sirloin or chump, butter a piece of writing-paper, and fasten it on the back of your meat with small skewers, aad lay it down to a soaking fire, at a proper distance. As soon as your meat is warm, dust on some flour, and baste it with butter; then sprinkle some salt, and, at times, baste it with what comes from it. About a quarter of an hour before you take it up, remove the paper, dust on a little flour, and baste it with a piece of butter, that it may go to table with a good froth. Garnish your dish with scraped horse-radish, and serve it up with potatoes, brocoli, French beans, cauliflower, or celery.
To boil Brocoli.
Strip off the small branches from the great one, then with a knife peel off the hard outside skin which is on the stalk and small branches, till you come to the top, and throw them into a pan of clean water as you do them. Have water boiling in a stew-pan, with some salt in it; when it boils, put in your brocoli, and as soon as the stalks are tender they are enough. Take them up with a skimmer, and be careful you do not break the heads off.
Some eat brocoli like asparagus, with a toast baked, and laid in the dish, with the brocoli upon it, and sent to table with a little melted butter poured over it.
To stew Spinach and Eggs.
Pick and wash your spinach very clean, put it into a sauce pan without water, throw in a little salt, cover it close, and shake the pan often; when it is just tender, and whilst it is green, put it into a sieve to drain, and lay it in your dish. In the mean time have a stew-pan of water boiling, break as many eggs in separate cups as you would poach. When the water boils, put in the eggs; have an egg-slice ready to take them out with, lay them on the spinach, and garnish the dish with orange cut in quarters, and send up melted butter in a cup.
Shrewsberry Cakes.
Take one pound of sugar, three pounds of the finest flower, a nutmeg grated, and some cinnamon well beaten; the sugar and spice must be sifted into the flower, wet it with three eggs, and as much melted butter as will make it of a good thickness to roll into a paste; mould it well, and roll it; cut it into what shape you please; perfume the cakes, and prick them before they go into the oven.
Marlborough Cakes.
Take eight eggs, yolks and white, beat and strain them, and put them to a pound of sugar, beaten and sifted; beat these three quarters of an hour together, then put in three quarters of a pound of flour well dried, and two ounces of carraway seeds; beat all well together, and bake it in broad tin pans, in a brisk oven.
Queen Cakes.
Take a pound of sugar, beat it fine, pour in yolks and whites of two eggs, half a pound of butter, a little rose water, six spoonfuls of warm cream, a pound of currants, and as much flour as will make it up; stir them well together, and put them into your patty-pans, being well buttered; bake them in an oven, almost as hot as for bread, for half an hour; then take them out and glaze them, and let them stand but a little after the glazing is on to rise.
Boiled Plumb Pudding.
Shred a pound of beef suet very fine, to which add three quarters of a pound of raisins stoned, a little grated nutmeg, a large spoonful of sugar, a little salt, some white wine, four eggs beaten, three spoonfuls of cream, and five spoonfuls of flour. Mix them well, and boil them in a cloth three hours. Pour over this pudding melted butter, when dished.
To make a fine Syllabub from the Cow.
SWEETEN a quart of cyder with double refined sugar, and grate a nutmeg into it; then milk the cow into your liquor. When you have thus added what quantity of milk you think proper, pour half a pint, or more (in proportion to the quantity of syllabub you make) of the sweetest cream you can get, all over it.
To make Shrub.
Take two quarts of brandy, and put it ina large bottle, adding to it the juice of five lemons, the peels of two, and half a nutmeg; stop it up, let it stand three days, and add to it three pints of white wine, and a pound and a half of sugar; mix it, strain it twice through a flannel, and bottle it up. It is a pretty wine, and a cordial.
Two or three lemons aren't particularly heavy. It's the water....
I do know what you mean by weight, I hike mountain trails myself...but the Bacardi would weigh more than the lemonade makings...
Have you ever gone backing for a week at a time?
backing=backpacking.
Nope. But I still would probably choose lemons over bacardi. Ah well...my real backpacking vise is wasabi peas...
"the thought of salmonella always scares me."
And it's no good at all without the raw eggs. I think I'm going to try it this year, haven't made it for years. I'll probably get some totally organic eggs, might use this recipe, thanks to Pharmboy for providing it.
Life is short, mine has been stinking lately anyway, so I think I'll say Merry Christmas and what the heck!
PS, I once had a kitten who got drunk on my Christmas egg nog, just a little cup, but she was just a little kitten. It was pretty amusing, and no long term damage was done. Don't know if she had a hangover, with a cat who could tell?
As I remember, they do not allow photos within the building itself. I may be wrong, or, they may have changed their rules. We will certainly take pix if allowed and post them. Merrie Christmas, DBR!
My family has a copy of an old book, The White House Cookbook, published in the early 1800s. Almost all of the various punches and shandys mix several potent liquors.
And the receipes often started with items like, "take the whites of two-dozen eggs..." Apparently the receipes were for formal dining with lots of guests.
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