THE ULTIMATE EGGNOG TAKES WORK

Blend of spirits and resting time are key in holiday classic

I did not have much fear of missing out, growing up without celebrating Christmas. After all, I could still appreciate the decorations without my family putting them up. There were always Hanukkah presents, so I wasn’t missing out on that. And, heck, we had latkes. Hard to beat fried potato pancakes.

For some reason, eggnog was one of the only Christmas traditions that really intrigued me. So we would occasionally snag a storebought (booze-free) quart, which almost inevitably was a letdown. I figured I wasn’t missing much.

Oh, how wrong I was. When I was older and finally tried some honest-to-goodness, homemade, alcoholincluded nog, I got a little wistful about time lost. No longer! Of course, anyone — regardless of religious or nonreligious affiliation — can partake in the seasonal beverage. And this Deluxe Eggnog is pretty much the ultimate recipe.

As the name promises, it is, indeed, luxurious. Rich with egg yolks and heavy cream and fortified with three types of spirits, it reminded more than one taster of melted ice cream. Nothing wrong with that. We suggest small portions since it is so decadent and strong.

The recipe is a longtime family tradition for the “Joy of Cooking ” authors, the classic cookbook. They recommend letting the egg yolks mingle with the liquor for the full time specified in the recipe; otherwise, “your nog may taste more like a naughty omelet than holiday cheer.”

If you plan to serve the

eggnog for the holiday season, this is the time to get it started. While you can enjoy this version in just a few hours, the authors say the

f lavor only improves with time. Plus, why burden yourself with one more task once things get busier? Make it now and you won’t

miss out this year, or ever again.