I kinda pirated this recipe from another group to which I belong. I did tell them I was going to borrow it and no one objected. I wish she had provided a link, but there wasn't one, and I searched the web and couldn't find one either. So I'm going with it the way it was posted!

I think the cedar eggnog sounds yummy; may try making some of this for new years eve party. This is long, but it's interesting reading.

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1958: Eggnog
By AMANDA HESSER
Published: December 23, 2007

Eggnogs have long been a Times recipe staple. An 1895 article on
Christmas-food traditions noted that Americans eat more lightly
than the English throughout the season. The only exception, the writer
added, "is eggnogg, a mixture of eggs, milk, sugar, spices, rum, brandy
and - headache.

This beverage, however, has lately fallen somewhat out of favor.
Either our stomachs have grown weaker or our brains stronger, and we
are not willing to sacrifice future well-being for the sake of a momentary
gratification, even though sanctioned by the precept and example of our
ancestors." Well, pooh-pooh!

Tom Schierlitz for The New York Times.
Food stylist: Susan Spungen.

A Twist on a Christmas Tradition

By the late 1950s, eggnog, and drinking, had staged a comeback. If you
already have a favorite eggnog recipe, throw it out, because the one that
Craig Claiborne ran in 1958 sweeps the field. What makes Claiborne's
Southern-style family recipe different from all the also-rans is that it
doesn't pretend to be a drink. He suggests you eat his nog with a spoon.
And so you should: it's the only way to get it out of the punch cup.

You begin by beating the egg yolks and sugar until they're as thick as
meringue, then loosen them up with bourbon and Cognac and, eventually,
fold in both whipped cream and whipped egg whites, so it's like a giant
bowl of faintly boozy chiffon. Claiborne smartly adds salt to the egg whites to
amplify and sharpen the flavors. The alcohol, which may seem like a lot when
you're pouring it in, actually isn't much - just 2 cups to 6 cups other liquid - and
so it swims through the layers of egg and cream as an echo to the nog rather
than as a belt of good cheer.

The richness of the ingredients hits you about halfway through your cup, and by
the time you've reached the bottom, you're done.

I asked Eben Freeman, the head bartender at Tailor in SoHo, to try
Claiborne's concoction and to come up with his own interpretation. Freeman is
a man who isn't shy about using ingredients like bell peppers in his cocktails,
infusing gin with hops and making drinks like "the Waylon," which involves
blending bourbon with smoked Coca-Cola; he took to the eggnog with the
enthusiasm of a dog unleashed in the park. When you make the old one,
Freeman noted, "you're thinking about making soufflés. So naturally I
thought of a cheese soufflé. And then I was thinking about fondue, and when
you make a traditional fondue, you're usually putting cherry eau de vie into it."

And off he went experimenting. Cheese was figuring into the mix, but then so
was wood. (Yes, wood.) He couldn't settle on just one recipe, so he presented me
with two eggnogs: a savory-sweet one in which he infused the cream with
Roquefort and scented the nog with poire William, a pear eau de vie, and another
that hewed closely to Claiborne's except that Freeman infused the bourbon with cedar.

Both are stunningly good. The Roquefort and pear could be served as a cheese
course, the cedar nog as an evening closer. But don't forget to try the original, so you
can appreciate the root of such delights.

1958 Eggnog

This recipe appeared in The Times in an article by Craig Claiborne.
As Freeman pointed out, "It's important to get good farm-fresh eggs, with
really orange yolks and really thick cream; these are the main constituents
of the drink." Halve the recipe for a smaller gathering.

12 eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup bourbon
1 cup Cognac
½ teaspoon salt
3 pints heavy cream
Grated nutmeg
1 to 2 cups whole milk (optional)

1. In an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick.
2. Slowly add the bourbon and Cognac while beating at slow speed.
Chill for several hours.
3. Add the salt to the egg whites. Beat until almost stiff.
4. Whip the cream until stiff.
5. Fold the whipped cream into the yolk mixture, then fold in the beaten egg
whites. Chill 1 hour.
6. When ready to serve, sprinkle the top with freshly grated nutmeg. Serve
in punch cups with a spoon.
7. If desired, add 1 to 2 cups of milk to the yolk mixture for a thinner eggnog.
Makes about 40 punch-cup servings.

**2007: Roquefort-and-Pear Eggnog
By Eben Freeman, the head bartender at Tailor in SoHo.

3 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
1 1/2+cups heavy cream
4 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup poire William, or other pear brandy
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.

1. One to two days before making the eggnog, combine the cheese and cream in
a container and refrigerate for 36 to 48 hours.
2. In a mixer fitted with a whisk, combine the egg yolks, sugar and poire William.
Beat until pale yellow and emulsified. Chill for 2 hours. Line a sieve with cheesecloth,
and strain the cream-and-cheese mixture.
3. Whip the cream to stiff peaks, then fold into the egg-yolk mixture. Beat the egg
whites until fluffy, then add the salt and continue beating to stiff peaks. Fold into the
cream mixture. Chill for 1 hour. Serve in small cups with a spoon. Serves 10.

**2007: Cedar-Scented Eggnog
By Eben Freeman, head bartender at Tailor in SoHo.

"In this recipe," Freeman said, "I wanted to stay true to Craig's. If you want
more cedar flavor, omit the Cognac and double the bourbon."

1 cedar plank or 1 sheet of cedar paper, for wrapping food
¼ cup bourbon
4 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Cognac
1 ½ cups heavy cream
Pinch salt.

1. Two days before making the eggnog, infuse the bourbon. Preheat the oven
to 350 degrees. Using a vegetable peeler, shave strips of cedar from the cedar
plank until you have 1/4 cup of shavings (if using cedar paper, break it into pieces).
Spread the shavings on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until toasted, about
20 minutes. Let cool, then combine with the bourbon, cover and let sit for 48 hours.
2. Strain the bourbon through a jelly bag or a tea towel. In a mixer fitted with a whisk,
beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy, then with the mixer on low, slowly
add the bourbon and the Cognac. Chill for 2 hours.
3. Whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold into the yolk mixture. Beat the egg whites
and salt to stiff peaks and fold into the same mixture. Chill for 1 hour.
Serve in small cups, with a spoon. Serves 10.