5 Unconventional Ways To Spike Your Eggnog On Christmas Eve

While you wait for Santa to arrive or try to manage the stress of family visiting for the holidays, a splash of an extra boozy ingredient into the glass of homemade eggnog or a store-bought variety can make the night before Christmas that much more enjoyable. While many aspiring at-home bartenders are familiar with the additions of rum and bourbon into an eggnog recipe, we have a few other ideas that can keep your palate interested as Christmas Eve creeps into Christmas Day. 

From flavored liqueurs to shots of sturdier booze, you have options when it comes to upping the alcoholic content of your beverage to build a delicious treat that can be contentedly sipped next to the roaring fire — or while zoning out at the dining room table (we don't judge). When topped with the garnish of your choice, these pretty drinks can be the reward you need to get you through the holiday season with a smile on your face. As with adding any new ingredient to a reliably standard recipe, adjust conservatively and taste as you go so that the drink in your pretty hot toddy glass mug is balanced, smooth, and not overpoweringly boozy or sweet.

While you may associate eggnog with thick, sweet gulps, a tequila-infused version can offer a lighter beverage that is refreshingly easy to sip. This smoky, nuanced beverage transforms what could be a drinking chore into a pleasurable experience. If you can't get your mind around the idea, think of tequila like agave brandy. Brandy and sherry are often tossed into nog recipes, but tequila can equally help turn your party up. On its own, añejo tequila offers a complex palate, and since the spirit is aged in oak casks, waves of caramel play well with the other ingredients.

If making this drink in a blender, operate the machine at low speed. Keep a careful eye on the texture so that the eggs do not whip or turn to cream. The idea is to create a cohesive mixture, not froth the eggs. Pour the rest of the ingredients like sugar slowly into the blender before inviting añejo tequila into the mix. Including Amontillado sherry, which is dry and nutty, will build even more layers of flavor. Leave whole milk and heavy cream until the end so that the batch is less likely to lean into a whipped category. You want a beverage that is sweet and strong but not distractingly thick. Set the concoction into the fridge for several hours to let flavors mingle and chill. When you're ready to serve, grate nutmeg over the top of poured glasses.

Perhaps you've already tried spiking eggnog with Baileys original Irish cream. This ingredient nestles nicely into a cup, but we're here to encourage you to step beyond the tried-and-true and experiment with some of the other Baileys flavors. The Baileys label can also be found on bottles flavored with chocolate, salted caramel, strawberries and cream, red velvet cupcake, pumpkin spice, s'mores, vanilla mint shake, tiramisu, and espresso. So you can really go wild playing with layers of flavors in your eggnog recipes. A splash of any of these will transform your usual glass, plus for at-home bartenders modifying ingredients to accommodate vegan friends, there is vegan Baileys that you can incorporate into a pitcher of plant-based nog. 

A drink this delicious shouldn't be so easy to prepare, but these pre-made bottles make switching up a standard recipe a simple task. For a festive DIY drink station, set out a few different flavors of Baileys bottles for guests to spike their cocktails with the tastes of their choosing and offer suitable garnishes — think cocoa powder, mint leaves, slices of strawberries, and broken pieces of salted caramel candies — that can be used to rim glasses and crown drinks. 

Embrace the sweeter side of the holiday season by adding a splash of amaretto to your drink. You'll only need to add 1 ounce of amaretto to every 6 ounces of eggnog you make. The almond-flavored liqueur is a sweet addition to these holiday cocktails, inserting just the right amount of nutty tasting notes to your drinks without shoving the recipe into an ocean of a cloying irritation. The result tastes closer to a dessert served on a vacation somewhere along the Italian coast.

Amaretto can come to life when presented alongside vanilla tasting notes, so feel free to add vanilla vodka to your recipe or an extra splash of vanilla extract to give this nog variation heightened vibrancy. For an even smoother finish, you can add a touch of Coffee Mate hazelnut coffee creamer or spiced rum to suit your palate while making this beauty of a libation. Plus, once you have amaretto stocked in your home bar, you can easily mix the ingredient into your morning coffee so that the hoopla of Christmas is much easier to digest.

You can make homemade coffee liqueur using whole coffee beans, VSOP Armagnac, and demerara sugar to splash into your nog. If you can't get it together to make a boozy ingredient at home, try Cazadores Café Tequila Coffee Liqueur for a quick and convenient addition to your store-bought holiday beverages. Combine both coffee liqueur and vanilla vodka to pour a drink that blurs the line between dessert and beverage, and, of course, the waves of flavor don't need to stop there. Just like upping the ante when making chocolate martinis at home, vanilla vodka can play a similar role in your nog. The fun won't stop.

Consider tinkering with almond or coffee extracts. Peppermint extract can add a fresh layer to your eggnog, while maple and chocolate extracts can deepen the overall taste of the drink without impacting the alcohol content. A few drops of flavored extracts are all you need to transform the tasting profile of your creamy beverage, and you certainly don't need to be a professional to master these ratios. Let your palate lead the way and start tasting your creations.

Cognac is traditionally served neat in tulip-shaped glasses so that connoisseurs can fully appreciate the tasting notes and aroma of the drink. We, however, want to encourage you to try spritzing up your festive nog with the spirit. Cognac, a special kind of brandy hailing from southwestern France, is made from a base of white grapes aged in oak barrels. It is smooth with a soft palate and mixes well in a creamy nog. Not only are there many different kinds of Cognac categorized by age, but the flavor can offer sweet, fruity, spicy, and bitter tasting notes. Older varieties are often velvety smooth, while younger forms can be a bit spicier on the tongue.

While many drink makers are acquainted with splashing brandy into eggnog, France's Cognac region is particularly known for its terroir. Brandy can be made from a range of places, but Cognac is specially marked. Some might say it's in a class of its own. Your nog can benefit from this kick of superiority, and your glasses may take on subtle whispers of citrus aroma. For a special treat, savor the deeper expressions that come from a XO label — Cognac varieties that have been aged for at least six years. As with any of our sumptuous suggestions, mix your drink, sample, and take notes. You may appreciate one recipe over another.