December 24th is National Eggnog Day! The true origins of the beverage are debated but it dates back to Medieval Europe from a spiced warm milk and ale beverage known as posset. Eggnog was considered a drink of the aristocracy as it combined many different ingredients considered more expensive, especially during the winter, such as eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg all mixed with milk. Brandy or sherry would be added to make the beverage alcoholic. When the drink became popular in the early United States, rum or whiskey was used to mix in the eggnog instead of brandy.

In Sacramento in the 1850s, the saloons and hotels advertised having pitchers of eggnog ready for customers, especially for Christmas. Of course, since early Sacramento was the “City of Saloons,” the eggnog was quite strong. A man by the name of A. Plankinship was fined $5 for drawing a knife in the El Dorado Hotel on Christmas day 1851 after he “got drunk on bad eggnog.”

It was quite popular to send the beverage to newspaper offices, apparently, as the Sacramento Daily Union often thanked the individuals (often saloon owners) for bringing by eggnog for the printers and typesetters. It was probably an offer of thanks for their hard work setting type and publishing the newspaper during the holidays. The Bank Exchange at Second and K Streets apparently “acquired to perfection” eggnog according to the Union on Christmas 1864.

With the big holiday approaching, enjoy a nice glass of the historic and traditional holiday beverage. In this video, Howard printed an important question for today. The type font used is Quaint Open. Do you enjoy eggnog or prefer a different wintertime beverage?

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