Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Cognac & Other Brandy Cocktails

Cousin Eddie

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Liquor.com
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Updated 12/18/22
Cousin Eddie cocktail in a rocks glass with one large ice cube, garnished with black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

Eggnog is a seasonal treat that warms up December with its rich blend of liquor, eggs and cream. But there’s more than one way to make Eggnog, as evidenced by the many recipes gracing menus and home bars around the globe. Some choose to make their drinks by separating whites from yolks and beating the eggs with sugar to form peaks. Some make their Eggnog in a blender. And others throw all the ingredients into a shaker with ice. Los Angeles bartender Beau de Bois takes the latter path to make the Cousin Eddie, a fun spin on traditional Eggnog that includes three spirits: Armagnac, aged rum and fernet.

For the Armagnac (a type of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, France), choose whichever bottle you prefer. But de Bois gets specific with the other boozy ingredients, suggesting Guyana-made El Dorado five-year-old rum and Czech-made R. Jelinek fernet. The rum has notes of tropical fruits, caramel, butterscotch, coconut and vanilla, while the fernet isn’t as bitter or polarizing as the popular Italian amaro Fernet-Branca. Instead, it’s minty, herbal and bittersweet, with notes of anise, clove and raisins.

That trio of base spirits provides a complex backbone to the cocktail, which also includes heavy cream, a whole egg, sugar and nutmeg. Shake the ingredients first without ice to emulsify the egg and create a silken texture, then shake again with ice until chilled. Once strained into your glass, you will garnish the drink with black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg to give each sip a spicy, peppery aroma. This is one cousin you’ll want to host all season long.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces Armagnac

  • 3/4 ounce El Dorado 5-year-old rum

  • 1/2 ounce R. Jelinek fernet

  • 1 1/2 ounces heavy cream

  • 1 whole egg

  • 2 teaspoons sugar

  • 1 pinch nutmeg, freshly grated

  • Garnish: black pepper, freshly cracked

  • Garnish: cinnamon, freshly grated

  • Garnish: nutmeg, freshly grated

Steps

  1. Add the Armagnac, El Dorado rum, fernet, heavy cream, whole egg, sugar and nutmeg into a shaker and vigorously dry-shake (without ice).

  2. Fill shaker with ice and shake again until well-chilled.

  3. Double-strain into a double rocks glass over one large ice cube.

  4. Garnish with the black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg.