The Etymology of Eggnog
Eggnog entered written English in 1775 in the American colonies, but its parts are older.βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Egg is straight Old English Η£g, with Norse reinforcement from eggja in the Danelaw period. Nog is more obscure: from 1693 it is recorded as a Norfolk and East Anglian dialect word for strong ale, and it appears in punch recipes throughout the eighteenth century. Eggnog is therefore a transparent compound β egg-and-strong-ale β describing the original drink: a hot mixture of beaten egg, sugar, spice, and ale or sherry, called a flip in earlier English usage. American colonists, with abundant dairy and cheap rum from the Caribbean trade, gradually replaced ale with spirits and milk, producing the rich cold drink known today. Mexican rompope, Italian zabaglione, and German Eierpunsch are independent egg-and-spirits traditions, not direct descendants but cousins in spirit and method.