With the holidays now firmly behind us, you might be tempted to put away those glass moose mugs and bid farewell to a seasonal sipper. But the custard-like concoction can and should be enjoyed into the winter months, and for one Utah town, it’s a year-round emblem.
Long ago in Medieval England, some uppity imbibers decided to warm their bellies with a mix of curdled warm milk, wine or ale, spices, and hell—why not crack an egg in there? Sounds delicious, I know. These ingredients were too expensive for the average peasant to acquire, thus the beverage was mostly enjoyed by the aristocracy. After a few generations, and a skip over the Atlantic, the descendant of the curdled concoction became eggnog. Colonists had ready access to milk and eggs, though they swapped out fortified wines for rum, whiskey or moonshine. By the 1800s eggnog was a popular drink enjoyed during the winter months, and eventually became synonymous with the holidays.
Despite the popularization of eggnog consumption from Thanksgiving through the New Year, it’s quite a divisive cocktail. You either hate it or you love it. The rich drink has even been the root of riots—the 1826 Great West Point Eggnog Riot to be exact, where scores of cadets broke the academy’s no-drinking policy to indulge in some ‘nog. But for one Utah hamlet, their affinity for Eggnog is so great that they’re named after it.
Located in Garfield County just southeast of Capital Reef, Eggnog was established in 1979. The desolate town was likely named for their residents’ tendency to serve eggnog to ranchers. With its hefty texture and fattening qualities, the drink is a quick way to restore some energy for laborers. So while the rest of us might turn up our noses to the thought of eggnog off-season, just remember that in some Beehive communities, the ‘nog is a fixed point of pride.
