Maybe more than any other this recipe is so varied you never know what you’re going to get when you order one. It has been twisted into a sugar fueled, 7 Eleven slushy, add-any-fruit-you-can-think-of delivery system. In its original form this recipe lets the rum really shine through. I like to add a few dashes of angostura bitters on occasion.

Separate the egg yellows from the whites. Add the sugar to the yellows and beat to consistency of cream. Add to this grated nutmeg. Then mix in the Rum, Brandy, and Madeira. Beat the egg whites until they form a stiff froth then mix them in. Then add in milk. No heat is used. Serves 15. I found this recipe after only having gross egg nogg my whole life and knowing it had to be better. I make this once a year at Christmas. I always start with this base and then end up adding way more alcohol to taste. I’ve also started replacing some of the milk with heavy whipping cream. The milk available in 1872 was much richer than the stuff we buy today. It keeps it as kind of a living recipe that changes year to year. This year I added a little pimento dram to give it more of an allspice flavor and it turned out really well. This can also be kept in the fridge and aged.

So I’m not a fan of Vodka. It’s boring. I mix cocktails and drink for the flavor. Now, having said that some smaller distilleries are single filtering their Vodkas. This means they retain some of the flavor or the original grains used to distill. This does give the Vodkas some character and makes them interesting. Vodka has its (very small) place, but the martini is such a great balance when you have a good gin and vermouth. Why would you ever want to miss that to drink something flavorless? Clearly I have some strong opinions on this…

This is another rum drink that I didn’t really like until I had an original version. It’s pretty much a Daiquiri with mint and topped with a little soda.

This drink can be very polarizing. The Campari is a bitter tangerine flavor and it turns off a lot of people. You can add a touch of simple syrup to offset this. I really like the bitter flavor and find it encourages you to drink slowly. Take small sips and the bitter mellows out. I’ve also recently been swapping out the gin for Mezcal if smokey is your thing.

This is one of the most basic yet versatile recipes. You can replace the base alcohol with almost any other. Mix and match bitters. Use maple or agave instead of simple. Add a brandied cherry or lemon peel instead. Truely a blank canvas which all other cocktails are born from. Oh, and if you put soda water or crushed ice in your old fashioned you’re the worst kind of person.

This drink is my favorite of the sours. This base is used for any sour you want. Sub whiskey for a whiskey sour. Sub gin for a Gin Sour (Tom Collins). I pull the simple syrup back a little. Traditionally its 3/4oz. I became really obsessed with this drink before I started making cocktails at home. I had chickens at the time so Craig and I took 2 fresh eggs into Scott & Co to have Pisco sours made. Karl was bartending and was just as excited as we were. He had to try the drink too.

This is one of those drinks that is a guilty pleasure, but sometimes the Dude abides. It is a great dessert cocktail. I do not like the original recipe which calls for more vodka. The most important part is making sure you’re using a quality coffee liqueur. I currently like Mr. Black, but there are lots of good ones out there.