george washington colonial recipe eggnog

Here is a recipe from our first President, in the exact words they were written by George Washington himself.

This was one of his favorite concoctions for celebrating Christmas at Mount Vernon. You'll notice he pinpointed the exact amount of brandy, whiskey, rum and sherry to be used—but failed to include the number of eggs. So for that part, you'll just have to wing it. . .

"One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, 1/2 pint rye whiskey, 1/2 pint Jamaica rum, 1/4 pint sherry—mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently."