Festal Cheer!

Each age has deemed the new-born year
The fittest time for festal cheer.
-Sir Walter Scott


Well, the New Year is fast upon us! This year's card features a recipe totally unknown to me and my part of New England. Apparently, it's big around Wisconsin and Minnesota areas still. I was excited to hear about this once commonly popular drink, and look forward to giving it a try this New Years!

Tom & Jerry

Often mistaken for eggnog. a Tom and Jerry is light and spicy, with a sweet foamy crown that forms when scalding hot milk is poured onto the batter placed in the bottom of a mug, then stirred quickly, which causes the egg whites to rise. Once you've sprinkled the top with freshly ground nutmeg it is ready to drink.

The Tom and Jerry's origin is a bit of a mystery. Some say it was probably invented by Pierce Egan, a British journalist who lived in the 1800s and wrote the popular novel The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq. and His Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom (hence Tom and Jerry). Egan is said to have named the drink as a publicity stunt. Others hold that a famous American bartender, "Professor" Jerry Thomas, concocted the Tom and Jerry in the 1850s.  The only Tom and Jerry certainty is that there is no connection between the drink and the cartoon.

Ingredients
Yield: 1 Cocktail

1 egg
1 ounce Cognac or brandy
1 tsp of confectionery sugar
Hot milk
1 ounce dark rum
Grated nutmeg for garnish

• Separate the egg white from the egg yolk and beat them separately.
• Fold the beaten eggs together then add the confectionery sugar. Place  batter  into an Irish coffee glass.
• Add the dark rum, and brandy. and fill with hot (but not boiling) milk.
• Stir well.
• Garnish with grated nutmeg.

Store, covered, in the refrigerator, and use as needed. Will keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Mixture will probably separate in the refrigerator. Just stir and use. The drink will still turn out frothy and delicious.

Here's a sampling from Christmas Cards Past!