How to replace booze in eggnog?
I have been relegated to bringing "drinks" for a work holiday potluck. Fair enough. I love eggnog and would like to bring some. However, my recipe includes two jiggers of bourbon or brandy. It might be tempting to carry on as-is and feign ignorance, but my conscience says otherwise.
So I resolve to making a virgin eggnog. While it's tempting to merely leave the booze out, the booze adds a lot of flavor and sweetness. Is there an accepted way to substitute a brown spirit without losing all the goodness it imparts (apart from the ethanol)?
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I'm no expert either, but my mother simply never added it. She used a 50/50 milk/eggnog ratio. And to this day, I like it better than adding alcohol.
The easiest way is rum or brandy extract. The flavor is milder, but satisfactory enough. (Rum extract is far easier to find than brandy extract.)
Most brands still have some alcohol (significantly less than the real deal, but still present), so it's important to consider whether you're just avoiding the intoxicating effects or trying to completely eliminate the alcohol (e.g. for medical or religious reasons). If work rules mean it needs to be completely alcohol-free, you'll need to get more creative.
A side note inspired by a comment asking if eliminating alcohol increases Salmonella risk: Alcohol isn't guaranteed to kill harmful bacteria, so nog should either use pasteurized eggs or be (lightly) cooked for food safety... regardless of how much booze is or is not in your recipe.
7-up or Gingerale gives eggnog kind of a nice flavor and great mouth feel, I prefer to add Gingerale regardless of whether I add liquor or not. Happy Holidays!
I'm no eggnog expert, but when I need to substitute bourbon in a recipe that calls for both bourbon and sugar, I have substituted bourbon for a mixture of maple syrup and molasses. This will be a little bit thicker than using the rum or brandy extract, but you use much less of it. It gives that nice bitter & sweet depth of flavor similar to a bourbon, but it definitely won't taste the exact same. You may need to cut back on the sugar a little as well.
It's up to you whether you'd rather use extract or substitute with something completely different. It's sort of like the difference between veggie burgers made of tofu that try to taste like meat or veggie burgers that are just a black-bean & veggie patty. It's a matter of preference.
Alcohol-free vanilla extract (available in the US from Trader Joe's) is a decent substitute for the flavor you need for eggnog.
To echo other answers, you could also simply make the eggnog without the spirits. I've been using Alton Brown's eggnog recipe for years, to great satisfaction, and I just leave out the 3 ounces of bourbon.
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