24 December: Eggnog Day

Today is Eggnog day. Here's 10 facts about a popular seasonal drink.

1. Eggnog is a drink made of Milk or cream, beaten Eggs, sugar and more often than not, alcohol of some kind. It's usually topped off with a sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg. It's traditionally consumed at Christmas, with Christmas Eve designated as Eggnog Day.
2. No-one really knows the origins of the stuff. One theory is that it evolved from a medieval drink consumed in England, which was made from curdled milk and Rum, but no eggs.
3. Another theory states it was originally a drink popular with the English aristocracy, since the ingredients were expensive and the common people couldn't afford them. However, settlers in the New World had easier access to the ingredients and so it became a popular drink in America. It has never caught on with the Brits in quite the same way as it has in the States.
4. It's traditionally more of a thing in the Southern USA than in the North. Until 1870, celebrating Christmas was forbidden in the northern states, including festive tipples. In the south, they were allowed to celebrate and not only that, the coldest time of year was the best time for keeping the ingredients fresh. In fact, it's such a holiday staple that I came across one story from 1900 where an old gentleman, on being told his house was on fire, would do nothing until he had shared a glass of eggnog with his son.
5. No-one really knows how the drink got its name, either. One theory is that is comes from a type of wooden mug called a "noggin" which drinks like eggnog would be served in. Another is that it comes from "nog", a slang word in Norfolk meaning strong ale. Yet another is that is a contraction of "egg and grog".
6. In 1826, a student party at the US military academy of West Point got out of hand after whisky was smuggled in to make eggnog for a Christmas party. The shenanigans which ensued after the students drank too much carried on until Christmas morning. Some cadets ended up getting court martials. This incident became known as the Eggnog Riot. One of the unruly students was future president of the Confederate States, Jefferson Davis.
7. Medical texts from the 19th century recommend eggnog as a remedy for colds and flu, and even malaria. Today it wouldn't be recommended as good for you because it's loaded with calories, fats, cholesterol and sugar. There's also the added danger, if raw eggs are used, of getting salmonella. It's recommended nowadays that pasteurised eggs should be used, and that relying on the booze to kill off any nasty bugs won't work.
8. There are variations in some parts of the world - in Puerto Rico they add coconut milk and call it Coquito. In Cuba it's made with condensed milk and rum and known as Crema de Vie. In Germany, they add white Wine and Tea to the mix.
9. In the book Cold Comfort Farm, they have a drink called a Hell's Angel. The recipe is as follows: 1 egg, 2 ounces of brandy, 1 teaspoon of cream and some ice in a jam jar, shaken. Eggnog in all but name. I even found a contender for the best movie quote about eggnog, which was from A Christmas Vacation, and is, "Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?"
10. Eggnog is so popular in America that you can get not only eggnog flavoured Ice cream, but eggnog Toffee, Bubble gum and lip balm as well.

My Christmas Novella!

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

Available from Createspace, Amazon and Amazon Kindle

New!

Secrets and Skies

Jack Ward, President of Innovia, owes his life twice over to the enigmatic superhero, dubbed Power Blaster by the press. No-one knows who Power Blaster is or where he comes from - and he wants it to stay that way.

Scientist Desi Troyes has developed a nuclear bomb to counter the ever present threat of an asteroid hitting the planet. When Ward signs the order giving the go ahead for a nuclear test on the remote Bird Island, he has no inkling of Troyes' real agenda, and that he has signed the death warrants of millions of people.

Although the island should have been evacuated, there are people still there: some from the distant continent of Classica; protesters opposed to the bomb test; and Innovians who will not, or cannot, use their communication devices.

Power Blaster knows he must stop the bomb from hitting the island. He also knows it may be the last thing he ever does.

Meanwhile in Innovia, Ward and his staff gather to watch the broadcast of the test. Nobody, not even Troyes himself, has any idea what is about to happen.

Part One of The Raiders Trilogy.

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