The drink of the season

With 270,000 dairy cows producing more than 630 million gallons of milk and 28 million hens laying more than seven billion eggs at farms throughout the state, Ohioans can rest assured there will be no shortage of eggnog this holiday season.

Love it or hate it, eggnog is at its greatest abundance at this time each year. The drink’s ambiguity is enough to give anyone pause for thought. Some make it with rum or whiskey or bourbon. And some enjoy egg-free or dairy-free varieties, made with coconut milk.

To broaden my knowledge, I’ve discovered these five things about the beloved holiday beverage:

  1. Eggnog is believed to have originated from posset, a hot milk-based beverage enjoyed by the wealthy in medieval Britain.
  2. There are a few theories as to how the drink got its name. The ‘nog’ in eggnog might come from the word noggin, a small wooden carved mug. So, an egg-based drink served in this cup became eggnog.
  3. The drink didn’t arrive in America until the 1700’s, when rum became the eggnog spike of choice because of its availability and low price.
  4. George Washington is said to have been a big fan of eggnog and his own recipe featuring copious amounts of brandy, rye, rum and sherry was often served at parties.
  5. There is in fact a National Eggnog Day, fittingly celebrated December 24 on Christmas Eve.

If you really aren’t an eggnog lover, peruse this list from Buzzfeed about the 17 holiday drinks that are even better than eggnog and toast the spirit of the season!

Image via: http://blog.thestarrconspiracy.com/truth/tis-the-season-for-eggnog-2/

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