13 Comments
Dec 23, 2021Liked by Peter Suderman

My wife and I just tried the Manhattan. Very nice. I cut back on the vermouth a bit because the E&J XO is a bit sweet -at least it comes off that way with all of the vanilla/oak. It's a very good brandy.

I'm with you on the aged eggnog. We'd need a lock on the fridge. Wife and daughter buy eggnog at the store. I make myself a flip.

Everyone, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Joyous Other Holidays you may celebrate, and many thanks for a fun year of cocktails.

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Dec 23, 2021Liked by Peter Suderman

Really enjoyed the Manhattan! I used Paul Masson VSOP and it worked really well. Thank you!

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Sep 19, 2023Liked by Peter Suderman

I am thinking about making this soon to age ~3 months before drinking it around Christmas. I remember reading that you don’t recommend using vermouth older than maybe one month. Does that also apply for something like this - should I age a mixture of all the other ingredients, then add the vermouth closer to when I plan to drink it?

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Dec 27, 2021Liked by Peter Suderman

The egg nog was amazing! (I got the corrected recipe in time). Only problem was, I only got one glass since my family drank it all up.

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Dec 24, 2021Liked by Peter Suderman

I made both of these.

Love the Manhattan. The EggNog I would cut the sugar by half next time for sure. Very sweet.

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Dec 23, 2021Liked by Peter Suderman

Aged egg nog is delicious. I've been making Alton Brown's recipe for years. He uses a three part base of bourbon, rum, and brandy.

The weekend after Thanksgiving, I make a double batch and immediately put two jars in the back of the fridge: one to be consumed the following year and the second to add to next year's batch. I bring most of the rest to holiday parties.

I think you get most of the benefits of aging from about three weeks. The drink mellows considerably during that rest. The year-aged drink is also delicious, with some of the underlying spirits' flavors reasserting themselves against the dairy.

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This came out a bit too sweet for my taste. I used 3 quarter-cups of sugar. This seems to be true of all your nog recipes, so I might just dial it down 10-20% next time and adjust with a bit of syrup if I undershoot. Usually your drinks are perfect as written for me!

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Very late to the party, but I finally procured a bottle of the walnut bitters and made the Manhattan (exactly as written). It is definitely on the lighter side, but charming. I am generally on Team DIY Irish Cream for the holidays, but I will consider the nog option.

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Okay, I’m in - roughly six portions per recipe? Doubling work okay?

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