'Tis the Season of Delectitude
Thanksgiving might mean a lot of things to different people. For some it’s all about the turkey, for others the stuffing or the cranberry sludge. Personally, Thanksgiving has a special place in my heart for reasons far more delectable: It signifies the beginning of nog season. The nog season is a cruel, fleeting mistress; leaving almost as soon as she arrives. But to greater appreciate this short, yet delicious season-a brief primer is in order:
From our friends at Wikipedia “Eggnog is a type of milk-based punch. European in origin, its name may have stemmed from grog or from a small drinking cup known as a noggin. Eggnog typically consists of milk, eggs, and sugar mixed together and may be served with or without added spirits. Other ingredients include spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, or allspice.”
You should all be halfway to the grocery store by now, but assuming you’re not and have managed to stick with me so far, I’ll wax a bit more poetic about the greatness of this medley of creamy goodness and enticing spices.
The versatility of nog is one of its more delicious selling points. It can be thick as molasses or water-thin depending on personal taste. The addition of alcohol only makes nog more delicious and socially beneficial. For the vegan or lactose intolerant crowd there are soy nog alternatives as well. No one has an excuse. Silk makes a passable soy facsimile when combined with a liberal infusion of holiday ‘spirits’.
A socially conscious drinker chooses nog as well. ‘Tis the season to be American, I say.
Angry because you weren’t one of the lucky few shipped off to fight in a moral and entirely justifiable war? Well, you can celebrate your patriotic proclivities with a glass of the nog. That’s right, the one and only George Washington himself was rather fond of the nog. He brought it to a new level with his own rye whiskey, rum and sherry laden version that was rumored to be a rather stiff drink (imagine!). So don’t let the terrorists succeed! Washington fought for our right to drink fat and alcohol saturated beverages. You can’t let ol’ George down. The Washington one anyway.