The Forgotten Christmas Cocktail
My family has made the Tom and Jerry to mark the season for as long as I can remember. I can’t imagine Christmas without it, and yet I’ve never met another person who knows of its existence.
The recipe, typed on a now-yellowing sheet of paper by my great-grandfather and adorned with a hand-drawn sprig of ivy, calls for six eggs, separated, with the egg whites beaten stiff. The instructions are to blend the yolks with cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and so much powdered sugar that the mixture becomes too stiff to stir—I’ve witnessed the beaters of my grandmother’s Mixmaster seize while making the Tom and Jerry. Then the whites are folded in and the batter is ready for the addition of brandy, rum, and some hot milk.
The drink is often mistaken for eggnog. But eggnog it is not. A Tom and Jerry is light and spicy, with a sweet foamy crown that forms when scalding hot milk is poured onto the batter placed in the bottom of a mug, then stirred quickly, which causes the egg whites to rise. Once you’ve sprinkled the top with freshly ground nutmeg it is ready to drink.
