Of eggnog, hotshot, dropshot and beerenburg. Oh, and a snowman...

I had heard about eggnog for years, every time I watched a Christmas film as a matter of fact. But even while living in England, I had never had it. So, I thought I would make some. While living in England I got myself a book which describes nearly all foods made in the British Isles. And some others as well. Elephant for example will not be a meat I will use anytime soon! But eggnog was in there as well.

The simple eggnog called for egg-yolks, sugar, milk and rum or brandy. So, I got myself the ingredients and set to work. First I had to beat one egg-yolk with one table spoon of sugar. I had to heat up one cup of milk (I used a mug) and add to the mixture. And as a finishing touch I added a nice dash of rum. I waited for it to cool down a smidge (I didn't want to burn my mouth) and enjoyed my new-found drink! Mmmmmm.... I made some more the next day, since my parents and my sister were due to arrive. And they liked it as well, so this might be a drink for keeps!

After my parents left, my sister and I got to the hotshot. A cinnamon liqueur which doesn't really do much to you, especially with the tiny shot glasses I use. But then you get up and (try to) walk around! Hm, it did more than we thought. Dropshot is a similar drink, but has a very distinct liquorice flavour (we call liquorice 'drop' in the Netherlands). We only drank them at night though, no point in getting wasted at noon! Beerenburg (a Dutch Schnaps, made with a lot of different herbs and spices) however is a different matter, because it tastes great in a good hot chocolate. We didn't go overboard though, stuck to only one!

Oh, and the snowman? It's made of Belleek (Northern Irish china manufacturer and one of my favourites) and was a gift from my sister (who lives in Northern Ireland). My sister has returned home again, but not before rigging my computer to the region 1 setting for dvd's. The first Christmas films from across the pond are on their way and hopefully they will play properly! I loved having you stay and so did the monsters, even Sophie didn't mind you one little bit.

See you in Paris!