Egg Nog

    When a lot of people think of the holidays they may think about the famous drink, egg nog.  A mixture of eggs, sugar, cream, milk, and if chosen an alcoholic beverage that either makes you long for it or wrinkle up your nose in disgust.  I personally am not a fan of egg nog, but I was curious to how it came to be because it is such a unique beverage.  After doing some research here is what I found.....
    It is thought that egg nog originated in Europe and during the 1600's was used to toast to one's good health.  Egg nog was a drink that only high-ranked citizens had the priviege of having because both eggs and milk were very scarce at the time.
  As the drink spread to places all over the world, people from different countries started to make their own variations.  In America, colonists added rum to the drink because it was easily purchased from the Carribean in the triangular trade. American colonists had plenty of eggs and milk and therefore people from all social classes could enjoy it.
  The drink continued to spread across the globe an was modified with different alcohols and even coconut milk in Puerto Rico.  As egg nog spread it became a holiday tradition for many people.
  Now that we know more of the history of egg nog, where did it get its unique name?  In Old English the word "nog" refers to a strong beer.  Colonists in America would also refer to thick drinks as "grog".  Although it is not exactly clear where the name came from these words may of contributed to the name egg nog.
    Egg nog has been around for many years and it continues even today to be a popular holiday drink that still continues to be modified with different flavors and ingredients.

Information from:
http://cocktails.about.com/od/history/p/egng_hstry.htm
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggnog.htm

Picture from:
http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=1274