Eggnog

Anyone know where to find eggnog in London?  I'm not too keen on trying to make some.  I've thought of asking at Starbucks if I can just buy a cup of eggnog since they do eggnog lattes, but I'm not sure if they actually use eggnog for the lattes or if it is some sort of flavoured syrup they put in.  Any ideas? 

I know we have some Starbucks experts here who would know for sure, but I'd be willing to bet they just use a flavoured syrup.

Is there a reason you don't want to try making your own? It's really easy!

Is it easy?  I looked up a recipe and it looked tricky.  It said to use a stand mixer and to beat eggs until white peaks appear, and that sounds beyond my general cooking ability.  We don't have a mixer either.  Do you have a recipe you use?

Try a supermarket with a Jamaican section or an afro-carribean grocer's

Starbucks uses real eggnog. I'm curious if any would sell a cup of it cold though.

Tesco world section, Jamaica.  They have it in juice boxes, odd but not bad.  It is not as thick as US eggnog though. 

Now if only I could get the soy eggnog I used to buy in the States.  I'm not vegetarian and am fine with the regular stuff, but ohhh, I loved the flavour of that soy stuff.  I really miss it!

The Chai eggnog was great!

Starbucks uses real eggnog. I'm curious if any would sell a cup of it cold though.

Wow! I never would have guessed they used real eggnog!

Is it easy?  I looked up a recipe and it looked tricky.  It said to use a stand mixer and to beat eggs until white peaks appear, and that sounds beyond my general cooking ability.  We don't have a mixer either.  Do you have a recipe you use?

Here's a pretty basic eggnog recipe. You don't need a stand mixer - you can just use a whisk.

Wow! I never would have guessed they used real eggnog!

I don't know if I'd exactly call it "real eggnog" but it does come in a Tetra pak and I wonder if its imported.     I'm kind of curious to whether they'd sell a container of it if asked, but feel too stupid to ask.

It's reall eggnog - you can see when they make it.  It's UHT of course rather than pasteurised 'fresh' like we're used to, but I would imagine once chilled there's not much difference in flavor.

But for all the effort of going to Starbucks & trying to buy a container, it's probably easier just to make your own.

In MY opinion, the Jamaican stuff in cartons in the supermarket is NOWHERE near the same as traditional eggnog from the US.  I found it watery, flavorless and disgusting.

Google brings up loads of quite simply recipes - even those that avoid raw eggs if that's something that bothers you.

http://www.americansweets.co.uk/bordens-egg-nog-limited-stocks-1st-come-1st-served-826-p.asp



But it is actually really easy make. You don't need stiff peaks in the egg whites, just lots of air to give it a nice froth.

I just went into Starbucks yesterday and asked for a venti eggnog with no coffee or milk or anything in it.  They wound up steaming it for me before I caught what they were doing, but it was actually pretty tasty warm.  I wanted it cold though so just came home and stuck it in the fridge and had it later.  No funny looks or anything!  The girl at Starbucks even said that's how she likes it.

I will have to try making it sometime though if I can plan far enough ahead of time for an eggnog craving

I do agree that the stuff at Tesco seems to be very variable.  Sometimes it is good other times quite thin.

But since I have a small fridge I don't feel like I can take up a lot of romm with homemade eggnog and making a small amount at a time seems like a waste of effort, so I go with what I can get. 

I know this has been said already but I see a lot of eggnog threads so I wanted to restress that making your own is so easy it's not worth even going to the store!  I made it myself out of a cookbook when I was about 8 because I felt like having eggnog and it was summertime.  I am still a pretty novice cook twenty years later, and when I was young I was awful, but the eggnog tasted just like the store's and took about 10 minutes.  Try it, you'll like it,