Holidays Col. Blanton's Egg Nog

Holiday Season 2011 - Time for an Egg Nog

Bourbonology Recipe: Col. Bourbon's Egg Nog

The people over at Blantons claimed to have found beneath a stack of 1800s Sears Christmas Catalogs in a dark corner of their Warehouse Yes here is Col. Blanton's own egg nog recipe:

Sure, you can buy egg nog in a carton. But if you want to really impress your holiday guests, make it the old fashioned way. It takes a while, but it's worth it.

First, separate 12 large eggs into 2 medium-sized bowls. Put the egg whites in the refrigerator (you'll use them during the final step). Then, in a large saucepan, stir together

• 1 quart of milk
• 1/2 cup of superfine or powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon of real vanilla extract

Bring it all to a gentle boil, then take it off the burner. Next, beat the egg yolks for 2-3 minutes to thicken them. Take a cup of the hot milk and pour it slowly into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Then pour this mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the hot milk, continuing to whisk it so it thickens smoothly.

Return the saucepan to the burner and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to stir it constantly. You'll know it's ready when the egg nog is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

Refrig time: Now pour the mixture into a sealable container. If you like, you can cover the surface of the egg nog with plastic wrap so it doesn't form a skin. Refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours).

Part 2: With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft, white peaks form. Slowly add 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, and continue mixing until the peaks stiffen. Then rinse the mixer blades and whip 2 cups of heavy cream until it thickens, adding another 1/4 cup of powdered sugar as you do.

Now get your chilled egg nog mixture and pour it into a large punch bowl (if you used plastic wrap, don't forget to remove it!) Stir in 3 cups of Blanton's Bourbon. With a rubberized or silicone spatula, fold in (don't stir) the whipped cream, and then the egg white mixture. Now put it back in the fridge to chill for an hour (or until your guests arrive). Keep the egg nog chilled until just before serving. Semi-sweet chocolate shavings add the final touch, and you've got holiday egg nog that Col. Blanton himself would be proud to serve.

Lets Go To Buffalo Trace ---- Live

We happened to find the Buffalo Trace Company Web Cams ---- These are live view of shipping, assembling and all kind of neat stuff they do while they ship you the bourbon... Click on ANY of the photos to be taken to the live feed (assuming its still up)...

Click on any of the photo's to go live (will open another window).....

Enjoy the Tour.....

Pocahontas Bourbon of the Year Award - Elijah Craig

The Pocahontas Best Bourbon Of the Year AwardIt is only fitting that as a discussion and review of fine bourbon that UKnowIamRight selects what we deem is the best bourbon of the year.

The coveted The UKnowIamRight's Pocahontas Best of the Bourbon Prize has been awarded to Elijah Craig. You deserve this award and thank you for a great product. You can hold your head high.

Picking a bourbon of the year is a challenge. UKnowIamRight studied the subject for 365 long days. To make the test official we interspersed our tasking with Moosehead Beer.

As most awards of this type the winner is totally subjective with a splash of objective analysis.

Elijah Craig is a product of the Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. This is a family-owned business that has grown to a diversified portfolio of brands that includes The Christian Brothers Brandies; Evan Williams and Elijah Craig, vodka, gin, rum and your old friend Dubonnet Aperitif. But enough of the corporate stuff...they make a great bourbon.

Elijah Craig - 12 years old 94 proof. I could go on about the notes of currants, chocolate, tobacco but every time I taste a great bourbon it is a different experience. That is good because each time I am different also. Elijah Craig finds my undertones which is so much easier.

Sipping - It is clean, it hits you at the right spot in your gills, its 94 proof and it says "Here I am, enjoy me." It melts in my mouth with gusto, a bite and then the smoothness I enjoy. This is a bourbon I can linger with. Look over the Florida glade and waters and ponder the day and my life. Yes good sippin'.

It mixes well. Lisa likes to mix her bourbon with a menagerie of bubbles, it works well for her and admittedly when I tase her concoction there is no dissappointment. She used it in our mint juleps, Craig runs great on Derby day and throughout the warm summer.

Egg Nog...OK I like egg nog...I have moved from brandy to bourbon and here again Elijah Craig did not let me down.

The true test of a great bourbon is frankly if you keep on coming back. Elijah Craig falls into that mid 20's range. That is I can purchase it for about $25 give or take. I am pretty confident that we tasted most of the brands in this range. Yes we drank Bulleit, 1792, Buffalo Trace and a bunch more. But the key to the award lies in the recycling bin. Yes we kept on buying tasting another brand (usually several times per brand) and kept on going back to Elijah Craig.

Heaven Hill Distilleries' Bourbon Heritage Center won the "Visitor Attraction of the Year" Award and now they have won the The UKnowIamRight's Pocahontas Best of the Bourbon  Award.

BTW - They don't get the statue.

Now Bourbon Beer