The Other Tom and Jerry

Photo courtesy of Science of Drink

From the Kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a lovely sipper to enjoy on Christmas Eve, but not before the last of your chores are done. It looks harmless, a bit like the warm milk or weak cocoa your mother made when you were young and had trouble sleeping. If warm milk calmed you and let you slip into the arms of Morpheus, beware the Tom and Jerry. This is a warm cocktail that can sneak up on you. It was a seasonal favorite that fell out of favor during the 60's, but it is now staging a bit of a comeback. I suspect one taste of the hot/cold/sweet/creamy/spicy combo will make you a fan as well. While I love the flavors of this drink, I find it a bit fussy to prepare and personally prefer the simplicity of a hot buttered rum, a drink that is similar to it but easier to make. I know that many of you are too young to have ever tasted this one-time holiday favorite and I thought you might like to see how they are made. Here's the recipe for those of you who would like try one.


Tom and Jerry...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Drink of the Week

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 ounces Cognac
4 ounces dark rum
Milk (cooked till hot)

Directions:
1) Separate egg whites from yolks. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until they stiffen. In another bowl, beat egg yolks until they thin and then beat in allspice, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Fold yolks into whites. This is the batter.
2) For each drink, pour 2 tablespoons of this batter and then add one ounce of Cognac and one ounce of dark rum. Top off with hot milk. Stir ingredients together til they foam a bit and top each drink with a dusting of cinnamon or nutmeg. Yield: 4 servings.







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