How to Make Tom and Jerry - the Homemade Christmas Brandy & Rum Punch (Alternative to Eggnog)

Опубликовано: 14 Февраль 2025
на канале: Distinguished Spirits

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This Christmas cocktail is a delicious alternative to the usual holiday punch like Eggnog. Tom & Jerry is a hot drink with complex winter spices that's not advocaat or a sweet chai latte or Mexican hot chocolate but somewhere in between. However, it's so richly flavored that it's easy to forget it's got booze in it.

Tom and Jerry is a recipe from the 1800's. There are references to the drink in print before Jerry Thomas' How to Mix Drinks, but Thomas was the first one to write up a recipe for it (that we know of). Tom and Jerry used to be a staple of Christmas parties and dinners, however, like a lot of classic cocktails, it began to fade into obscurity in the later decades of the 20th century. People had porcelain punch bowl and mug sets specifically for serving this drink, which means for 11 months out of the year, they'd store it in a cabinet just so they'd have something in which to serve their favorite punch in December.

This recipe is a descendant of Thomas' recipe. His is three times as large and non-specific about the quantity of sugar. This recipe is much closer to the 12 Bottle Bar recipe. It uses the 12 Bottle Bar proportions. The only real difference is that this recipe uses rum in the batter (as the Thomas' recipe specified).

In the original recipe, Jerry Thomas makes the concession that this drink can also be made solely with brandy. I certainly prefer the version with both rum and brandy, but if you only have brandy on hand, you can still make Tom and Jerry. Just sub in brandy every time it calls for rum.

Despite all appearances, the drink is pretty easy to make. There are a lot of steps to make the batter, but it's easier than you'd think. Like in making Advocaat (   • How to Make Advocaat - The Homemade D...  ), you need to separate the yolks from the egg whites. Then you whip them, mix in the spices and put them back together.

Tom and Jerry is a great hot punch. It's sure to be a crowd pleaser. The only caution is that with warm mug of spices and booze, you better be prepared to fall asleep on the couch. Cheers!

Recipe:
half a mug full of Tom and Jerry Batter
0.5 oz Brandy
0.5 oz Rum
top Boiling Water (optionally hot milk)
garnish Nutmeg

Fill your mug half way with Batter. Add Rum and Brandy. Stir. Add boiling water. Stir. Garnish with Nutmeg.

Batter Recipe:
4 Eggs
1 oz Rum
.25 tsp ground Allspice
.25 tsp ground Cinnamon
.25 tsp ground Cloves
0.75 Cup Sugar
pinch Cream of Tartar (optional)

Separate eggs. Put the whites in one bowl, yolks in another.

Beat the yolks until thin. Stir the rum, sugar, allspice, cinnamon, cloves into the yolks.

Add cream of tartar to the egg whites (this is optional). Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Fold the whites into the yolks until fully mixed.

Yield: 8 Servings

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