Chai Eggnog

If you love the flavors of chai and have a weakness for eggnog, this homeade Chai Eggnog is the ultimate holiday sipper. For a spiked version, a generous shot of brandy, whisky or rum added to this delicious, drinkable custard would put everyone into the holiday spirit.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword Chai, Chai Eggnog, Eggnog

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings people

Calories 430kcal

Author Cathy

Ingredients

15 whole cloves
4 quarter-sized pieces of fresh ginger (1/2" thick)
2 cinnamon sticks, broken up
1/2 vanilla bean, chopped
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 cup water
4 Darjeeling tea bags
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
Brandy, rum, whisky, optional
freshly grated or ground nutmeg

Instructions

With a mortar and pestle crush fresh ginger, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, cardamom seeds, whole coriander seeds, whole black peppercorns and whole fennel seeds until coarsely ground. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, put the ginger and spices in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a meat mallet.
In a small saucepan bring spice mixture and water to a simmer. Remove from heat and add Darjeeling tea bags and steep for five minutes.
Whisk egg yolks, sugar and salt together in a saucepan while the tea is steeping. Gradually add heavy cream and whole milk, whisking until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is as thick as heavy cream. (If you boil this the eggnog will curdle and you will have scrambled eggs in your eggnog.) Off heat, strain the tea into eggnog.
Serve in your favorite cup warm or chill until cold. Sprinkle ground or fresh nutmeg on top for garnish.
For those wanting to add liquor, a Tablespoon (or so) of brandy, rum or whiskey will usually be sufficient. If you are serving this warm, add liquor after straining the tea. If you are serving it cold, chill the eggnog and stir in the liquor just before serving.

Nutrition